P
Italian · Vicenza, Veneto
Baccalà alla Vicentina con Polenta
Vicenza's baroque salt cod preparation — a contradiction in terms that Vicentini are fiercely proud of: they call stockfish (stoccafisso, air-dried) 'baccalà' when the rest of Italy reserves that name for salt cod. The stockfish is rehydrated for 3–4 days in running water, then slow-braised in a casserole with onions, anchovies, milk, olive oil, and Parmigiano for 4–4.5 hours without stirring — the fish breaks down and absorbs the enriched milk into a creamy, almost paste-like consistency. Served on white polenta (polenta bianca).
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I
The Market List
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600 g
stockfish (stoccafisso), dried
beaten firmly with a wooden mallet before soaking to break fibres; soaked in cold running water 3–4 days until fully rehydrated and pliable
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 medium
white onions
finely sliced
Your own market
6
anchovy fillets
packed in oil or salt-rinsed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 small handful
flat-leaf parsley
roughly chopped
Your own market
500 ml
whole milk
at room temperature
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500 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
the oil is a structural element, not a garnish; equal in volume to the milk
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60 g
Parmigiano Reggiano
freshly grated
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For the polenta bianca
300 g
white polenta (Biancoperla variety)
Vicenza's canonical accompaniment; yellow polenta is not traditional here
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1.2 litres
water
salted
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Three to four days before cooking, lay the stockfish on a firm surface and beat it firmly on all sides with a wooden mallet until the fibres begin to soften. Submerge in a vessel of cold running water — or change the water at least four times daily — and soak for 3–4 days. The fish is ready when fully pliable and swollen with no residual stiffness; press the thickest part: it should yield without resistance.
2
Drain the soaked stockfish, remove skin and any large bones, and cut or tear the flesh into manageable pieces. Spread the sliced onions across the base of a wide, heavy casserole. Lay the anchovy fillets and the chopped parsley over the onions, then arrange the stockfish pieces on top in a single layer.
3
Scatter the grated Parmigiano evenly over the fish. Pour the milk and the olive oil over everything in equal measure, so that the liquid just covers the fish. The casserole should look generously filled; the oil is not a garnish but a structural component of the final sauce.
4
Set the casserole over the lowest possible heat — the surface should tremble but never boil. Braise uncovered for 4 to 4.5 hours without stirring at any point. This is where the dish lives or dies: the fish releases gelatin that emulsifies slowly with the milk and oil; a single stir shatters that structure irreparably. The kitchen will fill with a deepening savoury-milky smell; at no point should a rolling boil be heard.
5
At four hours, assess the preparation by gently tilting the casserole: the liquid should have been almost entirely absorbed and the fish should have collapsed into a thick, creamy, near-spreadable consistency. If the mixture remains chunky and wet, continue for a further 30 minutes. The finished surface should be glossy and cohesive, not soupy.
6
While the baccalà finishes, bring the salted water to a rolling boil and whisk in the white polenta in a steady stream. Reduce the heat and stir continuously until the polenta pulls cleanly from the sides of the pot and no raw-flour smell remains — 40 to 45 minutes for traditional white polenta. It should mound softly on a spoon before spreading.
7
Serve the baccalà alla vicentina directly from the casserole, spooned over or alongside the white polenta. Taste before serving: the dish should be intensely savoury, creamy, and rounded — not sharp with salt, since the long soak and the milk will have drawn off the excess.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Ragno stockfish, Soranzo variety — considered the finest for this preparation by Maffioli; Biancoperla white polenta from Vicenza; aged Parmigiano Reggiano (24 months minimum).
02
Estate — Named Norwegian stockfish (stoccafisso di Norvegia) from a reputable importer; stone-ground white polenta; good Parmigiano Reggiano.
03
Market — Any properly dried stockfish available from an Italian or Portuguese fishmonger; commercial white polenta; Parmigiano Reggiano from a supermarket counter.
04
House — Salt cod substituted for stockfish — fundamentally wrong in texture and fat content, but acceptable where stockfish is unavailable; yellow polenta, considered incorrect in Vicenza.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. After soaking, the thickest part of the stockfish yields to firm finger pressure with no residual stiffness or dry core.
◇Smell. During braising, a deepening savoury-milky aroma rises steadily from the casserole; no sharp boiling sound should accompany it.
◇Sight. At four-plus hours, tilting the casserole reveals an almost dry, glossy, cohesive mass that is nearly spreadable — not soupy or chunky.
◇Touch. Polenta is done when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the pot and mounds softly before spreading on a spoon.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the unbroken 4-to-4.5-hour braise at minimum heat: a single stir or a boil destroys the gelatin emulsification that makes the preparation creamy rather than coarse.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Wine
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Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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