Stoccafisso all'Anconetana

Marche

Stockfish (air-dried cod) braised in the Ancona style with olive oil, onion, anchovy, tomato, olives, capers and rosemary — one of the great fish preparations of the central Adriatic coast. The stockfish must be beaten and soaked for 48 hours before cooking to fully rehydrate. It is then layered in a terracotta pot with the aromatics and braised very slowly until it holds its shape but yields to a fork.

• Stockfish slow-braised in milk rather than tomato; both rely on very low heat and the non-stirring rule to preserve integrity → Baccalà alla Vicentina Venetian
• Salted cod braised with tomato and olives — the Iberian version of the same preserved fish preparation → Bacalao Norwegian
• Desalted cod incorporated into aromatics — different technique (scrambled egg method) but same starting material and patience required for rehydration → Bacalhau à Brás Portuguese

Intensely savoury, briny, with olive and caper acidity cutting the richness; the olive oil-braised stockfish has a silky, gelatinous texture — a dish of extraordinary depth