Another popular pescetarian dish for the Feast of the Seven Fishes is Baccalà alla Napoletana.
As you might already know, baccalà or salt-cured cod is a favorite ingredient in various Italian cities, including Naples and Venice. And it can certainly be cooked in various ways. This recipe in particular, however, is the most popular way to prepare this fish in Naples.
As its name suggests, baccalà alla napoletana is from the beautiful coastal city of Naples. A dish that certainly exhibits bold vivid flavors, baccalà alla napoletana’s main ingredients are salt-cured cod, black olives, capers, pine nuts, and tomatoes. It also requires extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
However, this dish also has quite popular versions in the regions of Veneto and Liguria. It is not only served during the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but also during other religious holidays such as Lent. Clearly, baccalà is a favorite fish for many Italian families.
Before cooking baccalà, you must soak it in water for several hours. It should be soaked at least overnight. You should replace the water every few hours. If you want to remove as much of the salt as possible, you can soak it for 2 days.
After you soak it, rinse it with cold running water to clear away the excess salt. Then, pat dry with paper towels to remove as much of the water as possible.
After you have prepared the salt-cured cod days before, making Baccalà alla Napoletana will be quite easy. Just follow the instructions below and you will have a delectable secondo in no time.
Note: You can also use fresh ripe tomatoes for this recipe, instead of canned tomato sauce. Just dice them into small pieces and cook them until they become sauce-like.
Buon appetito!