Baccalà all Napoletana Recipe: How to Prepare Baccalà
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jan 13, 2024 • 3 min read
Italian food aficionados know baccalà as a versatile, savory cured fish that is a cooking staple. This classic cured cod recipe brings together garlicky tomato sauce and briny capers and olives for a dish that will transport you to Naples.
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What Is Baccalà?
Baccalà is a type of cured codfish that is packed in salt and dried to preserve it without refrigeration. Known in Italy as baccalà and in Spain and Portugal as bacalao, this white fish has a pleasantly firm, flaky texture and a savory, but not fishy, flavor.
Baccalà is traditionally eaten in Italy during Lent and as part of the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes. You can serve this versatile and flavorful fish in a wide variety of ways, from baccalà salad and stewed baccalà with polenta, to fried baccalà, to baccalà mantecato—a whipped form of the salt cod served with bread as an appetizer.
The most popular preparation of baccalà—known as ‘baccalà alla napoletana’—pairs the cured cod with a garlicky tomato sauce and the bright, briny flavors of capers and olives for a balanced bite.
4 Tips for Preparing Baccalà
Baccalà is a flavorful, distinctive dish to prepare for a holiday feast or a novel weeknight meal. However, the idea of cooking with salted cod may be a bit intimidating for people who have never tried it before. Follow these tips to make a perfectly balanced baccalà dish.
- 1. Opt for fresh, high-quality fish. Choose baccalà fish fillets from your market that are fresh and white (not yellowing) in appearance and scent. The baccalà should have a mildly fishy odor, without any chemical-like scents.
- 2. Be specific when shopping. Baccalà comes in many forms: boneless and bone-in, skinless and skin-on, and in different cuts. Go for boneless, skinless fish if you’re a beginner so that you can avoid the process of deboning and skinning the fish.
- 3. Soak your own fish. Many baccalà recipes will require you to soak the fish for as little as a day before you cook with it. Some fishmongers offer pre-soaked baccalà, but you should buy unsoaked fish and do the prep work yourself to customize the dish to your tastes. If you don’t have enough time to thoroughly soak the fish, pre-soaked baccalà will still do the trick.
- 4. Soak to your flavor preference. The amount of time you soak your salted cod will determine the intensity of the flavor. After initially rinsing off the fish, it should be submerged in fresh, cold water for 1–3 days, depending on the desired intensity of flavor. The longer you soak the fish, the less salty it will become.
Baccalà alla Napoletana Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
1 hr 10 mincook time
55 minIngredients
- 1
Prepare the baccalà one day in advance. Rinse the salt off of the fish and place it in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator. Replace the soaking water with fresh water 2–3 times over the course of 24 hours. When the fish has soaked enough to reach your desired taste, drain it and thoroughly pat the fish dry before cooking
- 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 3
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- 4
Add the onion to the pan and sauté until it is softened and slightly translucent, about 2–3 minutes.
- 5
Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 6
Add the white wine, capers, olives, and Roma tomatoes to the pan and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated, 3–4 minutes.
- 7
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- 8
Add the baccalà to the sauce and squeeze the lemon juice over the fish.
- 9
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the fish is golden brown, about 25–30 minutes.
- 10
Remove the baccalà from the oven and garnish with the chopped parsley before serving.
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