Chef Graziella
Anguilla Arrosto alla Comacchiese
The legendary roasted eel of Comacchio, where the brackish lagoons of the Po Delta have produced Italy's finest anguilla for two thousand years. Bay leaves, salt, fire. Nothing more.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Baccalà alla Vicentina
Created by
The patient, milk-braised salt cod of the Veneto, where hours of gentle heat transform preserved fish into something silken and profound. Vicenza guards this recipe jealously, and with good reason.
Main Dishes
Italian, Venetian
Make Ahead
Comfort Food
30 min
Active Time
4 hr 30 min cook•5 hr total
Yield6 servings
The people of Vicenza call this dish baccalà, but they are lying to you. What they use is stoccafisso, air-dried cod, not salt-cured. This is the kind of regional stubbornness that makes Italian cooking impossible to codify and wonderful to study. The Vicentini have called it baccalà for five hundred years, and they are not about to change now.
This is not a quick supper. The fish must soak for days. The cooking takes hours. You cannot rush it, and you should not try. The long braise in milk and oil transforms what begins as a board of dried fish into something silken, almost creamy, falling apart at the touch of a fork. The anchovies dissolve completely, leaving only their depth behind. The onions melt into the sauce.
I have watched cooks in Vicenza make this dish in earthenware pots that have held nothing else for generations. The pot knows what to do. You must learn. The heat must be so gentle that the sauce barely trembles. Any higher and the fish toughens, the milk curdles, and you have wasted three days of soaking.
Baccalà alla Vicentina traces to 1432, when Venetian sea captain Pietro Querini was shipwrecked on a Norwegian island and discovered stockfish. He brought samples back to the Veneto, where resourceful cooks in the inland city of Vicenza created this milk-braised preparation. A brotherhood, the Venerabile Confraternita del Bacalà alla Vicentina, still meets to preserve the authentic recipe.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried stockfish or salt cod
Quantity
2 pounds
soaked (see instructions)
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1 cup
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons
yellow onions
Quantity
2 pounds (about 4 large)
sliced very thin
salt-packed anchovy fillets
Quantity
6
rinsed and chopped
whole milk
Quantity
2 cups
warmed
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/2 cup
freshly grated
all-purpose flour
Quantity
3 tablespoons
fresh flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
1/4 cup
chopped
white pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
salt
Quantity
if needed
soft polenta
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried stockfish or salt codsoaked (see instructions) | 2 pounds |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1 cup |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons |
| yellow onionssliced very thin | 2 pounds (about 4 large) |
| salt-packed anchovy filletsrinsed and chopped | 6 |
| whole milkwarmed | 2 cups |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/2 cup |
| all-purpose flour | 3 tablespoons |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped | 1/4 cup |
| white pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| salt | if needed |
| soft polenta | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy earthenware pot or enameled cast iron Dutch oven with lid
- •Large bowl for soaking fish
- •Sharp knife for deboning
Instructions
- 1
Soak the fish
If using stockfish, soak it in cold water for 3 to 4 days, changing the water at least twice daily. The fish should become soft and pliable, like fresh cod. If using salt cod, soak for 24 to 48 hours, changing the water every 8 hours. Taste a small piece before proceeding. It should be pleasantly mild, not aggressively salty.
The soaking cannot be rushed. Undersoaked fish remains tough and too salty. This is where most failures begin. Plan ahead. - 2
Prepare the fish
Drain the soaked fish and pat it completely dry. Remove all bones and skin with care. The flesh should be white and clean. Cut the fish into pieces roughly 3 inches square. Dust each piece lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.
- 3
Cook the onions
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, combine half the olive oil and all the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and golden but not browned. This takes 30 to 40 minutes. Do not rush. The onions must melt, not fry.
The quantity of onions will seem excessive. It is not. They cook down to almost nothing and become the sauce. - 4
Add the anchovies
Add the chopped anchovies to the softened onions. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the anchovies dissolve completely into the onions. You should no longer see distinct pieces. They become part of the foundation, providing depth without any fishy taste.
- 5
Layer the fish
Spread half the onion mixture in the bottom of a heavy earthenware or enameled cast iron pot. Arrange the floured fish pieces in a single layer on top. Cover with the remaining onions. Pour the warm milk and the remaining olive oil over everything. Scatter the grated Parmigiano on top.
- 6
Braise slowly
Cover the pot and place in an oven preheated to 250°F. Cook for 4 to 4 and a half hours. Every 30 minutes, rotate the pot gently without stirring. The Vicentini call this movement 'pipare': a gentle rocking that allows the sauce to penetrate without breaking the fish. The dish is ready when the fish flakes easily and the sauce is creamy and unified.
The traditional instruction is to cook until the fish and sauce become one. This cannot be measured in minutes. Watch the pot. The sauce should barely simmer, never bubble vigorously. - 7
Finish and serve
Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, for 15 minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken. Taste for salt, though you will likely need none. Add freshly ground white pepper and scatter the parsley over the top. Serve immediately over soft, freshly made polenta. The polenta is not a suggestion.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out true stockfish (stoccafisso) from Scandinavian waters if you can find it. Italian specialty grocers sometimes carry it. The texture after proper soaking is superior to salt cod, more delicate and less fibrous.
- •There is no garlic in authentic baccalà alla Vicentina. None. The depth comes from anchovies and the long, patient cooking. Those who add garlic are making something else entirely.
- •Earthenware conducts heat gently and evenly. If you have a terra cotta pot, use it. The Vicentini have used the same vessels for this dish for generations. The pot matters.
- •The dish improves overnight. Make it a day ahead, refrigerate, and reheat very gently with a splash of milk. This is when the flavors truly unify.
Advance Preparation
- •The fish must be soaked 3 to 4 days ahead for stockfish, or 24 to 48 hours for salt cod. This cannot be shortened.
- •The completed dish keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheats beautifully. Add a splash of milk when reheating to restore the sauce's creaminess.
- •Prepare the polenta while the baccalà finishes its final rest. It should be soft and freshly made, not firm and sliceable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 310g)
Calories
680 calories
Total Fat
50 g
Saturated Fat
13 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
34 g
Cholesterol
95 mg
Sodium
880 mg
Total Carbohydrates
21 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
39 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Chef Graziella's Seafood Main Dishes
Browse the full collection
Chef Graziella
Branzino al Sale
The ancient technique of salt-baking creates a sealed chamber where the fish steams in its own moisture. What emerges is flesh of remarkable purity, seasoned perfectly, ready for nothing but your best olive oil.
Chef Graziella
Calamari Ripieni in Umido
Squid stuffed with their own tentacles and braised in tomato until the flesh turns silky and yielding. This is the home cooking of the Ligurian coast, where nothing goes to waste and patience is rewarded.
Chef Graziella
Coda di Rospo in Umido
The ugly fish that cooks like veal, braised in tomatoes until the firm white flesh absorbs the briny sweetness of olives and capers. Fishermen's wives along the Adriatic knew its worth before restaurants discovered it.