P
Italian · Basilicata
Baccalà in Umido con Peperoni Cruschi e Patate Lucane
A quintessential Lucana preparation that bridges the region's two iconic ingredients: salt cod (baccalà) desalted over 48 hours, and peperoni cruschi — the dried, fried sweet peppers unique to Basilicata and Calabria. The baccalà pieces are dredged lightly in flour and browned in olive oil, then removed. In the same pan, thinly sliced onion is softened, diced waxy potatoes are added and partially cooked, followed by crushed San Marzano tomatoes, torn peperoni cruschi (briefly fried separately to maintain their crunch) and the browned baccalà. The stew braises covered for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fully tender and the baccalà has absorbed the paprika sweetness of the cruschi. Finished with chopped flat-leaf parsley and raw olive oil.
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I
The Market List
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800 g
baccalà (salt cod)
desalted over 48 hours, water changed every 12 hours, cut into 6–8 cm pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
500 g
8–10
peperoni cruschi
dried sweet peppers of Basilicata; kept whole until frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
1 medium
onion
thinly sliced
Your own market
1 small piece
dried peperoncino
added whole to the soffritto
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 g
plain flour
for dredging the baccalà
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
120 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
divided: for browning the baccalà, for frying the cruschi, and a raw finish
Your own market
1 small bunch
flat-leaf parsley
roughly chopped, for finishing
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Submerge the baccalà pieces in cold water for 48 hours, refreshing the water every 12 hours. At the end of this period, taste a thin interior flake: it should be savoury but not sharp on the palate. If still aggressively salty, continue soaking and testing at 6-hour intervals.
2
Pat the desalted baccalà dry and dredge each piece lightly in plain flour, shaking off any excess. Heat a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat with a generous film of olive oil. Brown the baccalà pieces on both sides until a pale golden crust forms — roughly 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside; the coating should be intact and the flesh not yet cooked through.
3
In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add a little fresh oil if necessary. Add the thinly sliced onion and the dried peperoncino. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is fully soft and translucent — 8 to 10 minutes — with no rawness remaining.
4
Add the diced waxy potatoes to the softened onion. Stir to coat in the oil and cook for 5 minutes, until the potato edges begin to turn opaque. Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, stir to combine, and bring the contents of the pan to a quiet simmer.
5
This is where the dish lives or dies: nestle the browned baccalà pieces into the tomato and potato base, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to the gentlest possible simmer. The liquid must tremble rather than boil. Braise for 20 minutes until the potatoes yield completely to a knife tip and the baccalà has absorbed the surrounding sauce without breaking apart or turning stringy. High heat at this stage makes the cod rubbery and will cause it to fracture.
6
While the stew finishes, heat a small pan with fresh olive oil until shimmering and very hot. Add the peperoni cruschi and fry for no more than 30 seconds, turning once — they will blister and crisp almost immediately and will blacken if left a moment longer. Lift them out onto paper and, once cool enough to handle, tear into large shards. Reserve the frying oil.
7
Remove the pan from the heat. Scatter the torn cruschi over the surface of the stew and stir them in with a single, gentle fold — they must not submerge into the sauce and lose their crispness. Stir in one tablespoon of the cruschi frying oil and the chopped flat-leaf parsley. Finish with a thread of raw extra-virgin olive oil. Serve directly from the pan.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Baccalà from thick, line-caught Atlantic cod, desalted to the cook's exact specification; Senise IGP peperoni cruschi sourced directly from Basilicata; cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil from the same region; San Marzano DOP tomatoes.
02
Estate — High-quality Norwegian or Icelandic salt cod; peperoni cruschi from a specialist Italian importer; a good southern Italian extra-virgin olive oil; whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed.
03
Market — Salt cod from any reliable fishmonger, desalted with full diligence; dried sweet peppers of the nora or ñora type as a substitute for cruschi; a clean extra-virgin olive oil; quality tinned plum tomatoes.
04
House — Pre-packaged salt cod, desalted with care; jarred roasted red peppers added at the end (crispness will be absent, but sweetness is preserved); olive oil and standard tinned tomatoes.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Taste. A thin interior flake of the soaked baccalà is savoury but causes no sharp salt sting on the palate.
◇Sight. The flour-dredged baccalà carries a pale golden crust on both faces before it is removed from the pan.
◇Sight. The onion is fully translucent with no white or raw patches remaining before the potatoes are added.
◇Touch. A knife tip passes through a potato cube without resistance at the end of the 20-minute braise.
◇Sound. The peperoni cruschi hiss and blister audibly within seconds of entering the hot oil; silence signals they are done and must be removed immediately.
◇Where it lives or dies. The braise must hold at the gentlest possible simmer — the baccalà poaches in the tomato sauce and will turn rubbery, stringy and structurally collapsed if the heat is allowed to rise to a boil.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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Sourced through Provenance