Spaghetti with Baccalà (salt cod) alla ghiotta
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
1141 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Italian
Spaghetti with Baccalà (salt cod) alla ghiotta
Description
This recipe for Spaghetti with Baccalà alla ghiotta centers on salt cod, a salt-preserved fish, prepared for cooking by soaking and desalting as needed. The sauce starts with sautéed onion, celery, green olives, and rinsed salted capers in olive oil, cooked until the onion turns translucent. Halved cherry tomatoes are added and softened before introducing chunky tomato passata.
The salt cod is cut into medium pieces and added to the sauce to simmer along with optional peeled and cut potatoes. The sauce is covered and cooked together until the potatoes are tender. Seasoning with freshly ground black pepper completes the savory tomato and fish base. Spaghetti, cooked al dente in salted boiling water, is served tossed with the sauce, marrying the flavors.
This dish showcases the salty, firm texture of salt cod combined with bright tomato and olive notes. It can be prepared with either homemade or ready hydrated baccalà and represents a traditional style of preparing pasta with salted fish and Mediterranean-flavored sauce.
Ingredients
- 600 g salt cod 1.3lbs) prepared for cooking, aka baccala
- 400 g spaghetti (14oz) I used spaghetti alla chitarra but normal spaghetti is good too.
- 1 onion peeled
- 2 celery medium sized stalks
- 50 g green olives (2oz) destoned (I used taggiasche)
- 2 tablespoon capers (I used salted)
- 400 g tomato passata (14oz) preferably rustica which is chunkier
- 10-12 cherry tomato cut in half
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 potato peeled medium (optional
- salt for pasta
- black pepper to taste, freshly ground
Instructions
- Begin by putting the salted capers (if using) in a bowl, rinse them well to get rid of the salt.
- Chop the onion and celery into small pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the onion, celery, olives and capers and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, cut in half. and when they start to soften add the passata and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cut the salt cod into medium sized pieces and add it to the sauce.
- Add pepper to taste.
- If you are going to use potatoes, peel them and cut them into pieces similar to the size of the fish. Add the potatoes to the sauce when you add the salt cod. Cover the pan, lower the heat and let everything cook together until the potatoes are cooked.
- .If you are not using potatoes then just cover the sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes. If the sauce becomes to dry you can add a bit of water.
- In the meantime cook the spaghetti al dente in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet. (don’t use a lot of salt because the fish and capers may still be salty)
- Transfer half the baccalà and the potatoes to a dish and cover. You can serve this as a main course or the next day as a separate meal.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the remaining sauce, mix together well. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve
Notes
- Preparing salt cod requires desalting by soaking in water and changing it regularly, which can take days.
- Homemade salt cod involves covering a defrosted fillet in sea salt for two days, then rinsing and soaking before cooking.
- Using pre-hydrated baccalà can save time on preparation.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1141 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 1141kcal | 57% |
| Carbohydrates | 126g | 42% |
| Protein | 114g | 228% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 228mg | 76% |
| Sodium | 10920mg | 455% |
| Potassium | 3940mg | 84% |
| Fiber | 11g | 44% |
| Sugar | 12g | 24% |
| Vitamin A | 1077IU | 22% |
| Vitamin C | 70mg | 78% |
| Calcium | 332mg | 33% |
| Iron | 9mg | 50% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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