#61 Baccalà alla Livornese (Tuscany)
Salt cod and tomato don’t sound special until you cook them the Livorno way. I soaked the baccalà overnight, floured it lightly, and fried it just enough to get a pale crust. Then I built the sauce and slid the fish in. Slow cooking does the rest. The salt softens while the sauce tightens, and everything lands in a clean and honest balance that feels more comforting than it looks.
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#italianfood #tuscanfood #baccala #seafoodrecipes #comfortfood
Welcome to Forgotten Italian Classics, where Italian food becomes more than just pasta and pizza. Today we’re in Tuscanany discovering bakala ala liores, a simple four ingredient dry stew born in the port of Leoro. When traders brought dry cod from the cold Atlantic, locals gave it a new life with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. But somewhere between seaws and non kitchens, the tradition took root. This was my first time handling dry bakala. It felt like a piece of food at first. Therefore, after soaking it overnight, it softened again. While I fled the cod and fried it until golden, I prepared a simple garlic base tomato sauce. But just when the fish and juices came together, everything made sense. Salt meeting sweetness in a balance born from patience. Dod started fading when fresh fish became available everywhere. But since it still produced today, this might be our chance to bring it back and keep the tradition alive.
39 Comments
After soaking everything goes inside the dish.Thats the way in Dalmatia,cook like classic brodeto,with skin,bones and everything. Aroma is comming from all parts.
Quante volte gli hai cambiato l’acqua di ammollo? 😅
In Almeria, Spain, we do the same récipe. Saludos
My dad’s side of the family came from portugal and whenever they would come to stay with us, my grandmother would have a bowl full of fish soaking in the kitchen for hours so she could make her dish called “Bacalhau a gomes de sa,” very versatile and beloved old world ingredient that seems to reach beyond portugal and spain
Lo chiami baccalà, ma quello non è stoccafisso?
Fratello, hai un bel canale e soprattutto parli benissimo inglese, praticamente senza la solita punta di accento che abbiamo noi italiani. Continua così
I was very fortunate, and at my first cooking job working for a guy(Giampaulo) from the north in an italian kitchen, we served baccalá and it was eye opening for me, and delicious. we used it to make fritters of sorts, this version looks delicious as well. ❤
“I thought you were a Baccala man Uncle Jun, what are you doing eating sushi?”
Sorry, from a Spanish point of view that cod looks horrible. The good cod is always white.
Livornese P D M ✋🏻🦅🖤 Però ricetta top❤😂
This might be the best, im sure.
Qualcosa mi dice che non era indietro di sale.
You need to keep it in water for 3 days no?
Siempre un placer para ver sus videos, están bien hechos
I absolutely love baccala- I have always had it in a light salad with olive oil and garlic and a bit of parsley. Might have to try it like this as well!
In the Caribbean, we call it saltfish
I've been eating this my whole life, I never knew it was something uncommon or forgotten
Interesting to hear that it was your first time handling dry baccalà! In Italian-American cuisine (we especially eat it on Xmas Eve) salted baccalà is still very present in home cooking, not so much in restaurants. Must be that in decades past when immigrants came, it was still more widely consumed in Italy than it is today
I'm willing to bet that, before tomatoes were introduced to Italian cuisine, grated/finely chopped onions and white wine and/or balsamic vinegar were used in this dish. Maybe lemon juice instead, if there was no vinegar? Hmmm! 🙄🤔🤨
Sei un grande! Fai anche le verdure ripiene a sto punto, oppure un baccala' alla vicentina😂tanti saluti dal Veneto!
Rather eat this than ackee & saltfish tbh
Madonna che spettacolo anche questa ricetta!!!ormai sei uno chef professionista da come maneggi gli ingredienti e come padroneggi le ricette!!!
"Any of you know what baccala is? Of course you don't. Well, it's salted cod. We taught the world how to eat!" – Uncle Jun
I'm from Argentina and my grandma still prepares this italian dish from her family: "bacalao". She add potatoes and chickpeas to the cod though. It's really delicious.
Absolutely fascinating this series.
Maaa…tipo cambiare l'acqua quando lo metti a bagna?
Would
Posso suggerire di provare il Tapulone? È una ricetta a base di carne d'asino di Borgomanero (NO)
This looks so awesome. I love cod but never tried using dried cod. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Canale eccezionale e che rappresenta al meglio l'incredibile varietà della nostra cucina, al punto che, pur essendo italiano, molti dei piatti che presenti neanche li conoscevo…iscritto
no vinegar?
The one thing we do better than Italians, it seems. Cod!
In the Caribbean we know this as bacalau and it is the holy grail of Caribbean struggle food. The taste of of my unforgettable childhood
OMG IN SPAIN WE HAVE THE EXACT SAME DISH
Bravo, bella idea spiegare le nostre ricette in inglese, speriamo prendano nota..😊🎉
Maybe it’s the Asian in me but it looks like it would be amazing over rice
Something something sopranos
You know, Quasimodo predicted all this.
We make the same thing in north Morocco. It's delicious for lunch.