An Italian pantry basic that has been in use probably since the Catholic Church invented meatless fasting days, salt cod, like most fasting foods, has a decidedly unglamorous reputation. Despite that, baccalà—to give salt cod its Italian name—has become chic in recent years and some of the finest chefs are discovering what great potential it has.
The salt cod that comes in cute little wooden boxes from Nova Scotia is not the best choice for this as the pieces are small and very dry, often with a tendency to be somewhat rancid. The best salt cod, in our opinion, comes from Iceland, where it is cured by a process called wet salting. (Fish markets in Portuguese, Italian, or Spanish neighborhoods are good places to find this.) It’s not as dry and hard as traditional salt cod but still requires soaking for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, with frequent changes of water. Buy thick pieces of codfish fillet, rinse off the external salt, then soak the pieces in cool water to cover, changing every four or five hours, until they have just a touch of residual salt.
Once the fish has been soaked out, it’s ready to be poached and then turned into a variety of dishes, from Provençal brandade de morue, to Neapolitan baccalà fritta with tomato sauce, to this terrific recipe that Sara developed at Porsena. Inspired by a southern Italian dish, she pairs the cod with wintertime escarole for a touch of green, and black olives for flavor sharpness. The poaching should be just enough to retain the firm texture of the fish, which stands up well to the treatment. Do use the poaching liquid as part of the water for cooking the pasta—all those flavors will add to the interest of the dish.
SERVES 6
1 pound salt cod, soaked for 24 to 48 hours (see headnote)
FOR THE POACHING LIQUID
1 celery stalk, including green leaves, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 head garlic, cut in half
1 small onion, skin on, cut into quarters
1 leek
One 5-inch piece of orange zest
1 teaspoon fennel pollen or crushed fennel seeds
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
½ cup pitted black olives, preferably Gaeta or Kalamata
1 large head escarole, cleaned and cut into 3-inch-wide ribbons (6 cups)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest, preferably organic
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 1 pound (500 grams) paccheri or rigatoni or similar
¼ cup seasoned fresh bread crumbs (here)
Put the refreshed salt cod in the saucepan in which you will poach it and add water to just cover the fish. Remove the fish and add all the aromatics to the water in the pan: celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, onion, leek, orange zest, and fennel pollen. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes to fix the flavors. Lower the heat to very low and add the fish, making sure the pieces are covered with liquid. Simmer very gently, covered, for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the fish from its poaching liquid and set aside. Strain the poaching liquid, discard the solids, and retain the liquid.
Break up the fish, using your fingers so you will be able to find and discard any bones. If you’re not going to use the fish immediately, spoon a little of the poaching liquid over the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Also refrigerate the poaching liquid.
When you’re ready to proceed with the recipe, warm up the poaching liquid.
Take a large deep skillet that will hold all the fish and the escarole greens and set it over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and oil, stir to blend, then cook for 15 minutes or so, until the onion slices are starting to brown. Stir in the garlic and black olives. Add about ½ cup of the warm poaching liquid and cook, simmering, until the liquid has reduced somewhat. Add the fish and escarole and cook down until the escarole is thoroughly wilted and the sauce is amalgamated. Stir in the butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. (If the fish seems a little dry, by all means add more of the hot poaching liquid, ½ cup at a time, letting it cook down.)
Add the remaining poaching liquid to a large pot with enough water to bring it up to about 6 quarts. Bring to a rolling boil and add a small spoonful of salt–not too much as there may be plenty of salt in the fish. Add the pasta and cook following the directions here.
When the pasta is al dente, drain and turn it immediately into a warm serving bowl. Add the fish and escarole sauce and toss to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the top with spiced bread crumbs and serve immediately.