Baccalà alla Livornese
An indisputable classic of coastal Tuscan cuisine from Livorno: succulent chunks of desalted cod simmered to flaky perfection in a rich, rustic tomato sauce infused with black olives, capers, and fresh rosemary.
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35 min
Easy
Italiana (Toscana)
3 servings
The story behind
You seriously have absolutely no idea what an incredible, deeply rewarding seafood masterpiece this turns out to be—it is a pure Mediterranean hug right to your soul! The very first time I experienced an authentic Baccalà alla Livornese was at a small, breezy portside tavern in Livorno. It completely blew my mind to discover how a clean, robust tomato sauce could heavily infuse the cod without overpowering its gorgeous briny signature. The tavern owner proudly shared with me that the golden secret to failure-proofing the dish and locking in that flawless flaky texture profile is dusting the cod fillets in flour before searing; this builds a tiny crust that naturally thickens the tomato reduction as it simmers. Personally, I absolutely love whipping this up on Sundays because it comes together in a flash, looks incredibly upscale, and pairs marvelously with polenta or garlic-rubbed crusty bread to clean the plate. It looks identical to the photo layout when you center the thick fillet, let the glossy olive-flecked sauce encircle it, and crown it with a small fresh sprig of rosemary, exactly like the presentation displayed in Baccalà alla Livornese.jpg. Pair with a chilled Tuscan white wine or a light-bodied red to slice through the rich layers. You will fall in love with it completely!
Instructions
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1Take your desalted cod fillets, pat them completely bone-dry with paper towels, and dredge them lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess so only an invisible layer remains.
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2Heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the cod fillets for about 3 minutes per side, starting skin-side down, until a faint golden crust develops; gently lift out and set aside on a plate.
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3In the same skillet, lower the heat to medium, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté the minced garlic along with the fresh rosemary sprig for 1 minute to heavily perfume the oil matrix without scorching the garlic.
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4Pour in the dry white wine to deglace the bottom of the skillet, scraping up the caramelized bits with a wooden spoon, and let the alcohol cook off completely for about 2 minutes.
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5Pour in the crushed tomatoes (or passata), drop in the pitted black olives, and the rinsed capers. Stir well, season with cracked black pepper, and let the sauce simmer covered on low heat for 10 minutes to concentrate and thicken beautifully.
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6Gently nestle the seared cod fillets back into the bubbling sauce. Spoon a few ribbons of hot sauce right over the top of the fish flesh, cover again, and let everything fuse together for an additional 5 minutes until the cod is fully heated through and flakes effortlessly with a fork.
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7Taste and adjust for salt if necessary, remove from heat, and plate immediately by seating the fish in a pool of the glossy sauce and garnishing with a fresh mini rosemary sprig to flawlessly echo the look shown in Baccalà alla Livornese.jpg.
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