Baccalà Mantecato · Baccalà Mantecato alla Veneziana
Veneto · antipasto · serves 6 · 2880 min total · medium
Venetian wine bars (bacari) serve this on grilled polenta as a cicchetto — a small bite — with an ombra (shadow) of white wine.
Ingredients
- 500 g stockfish (or salt cod, soaked 48 h)
- 300 ml mild olive oil
- 100 ml milk
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 handful parsley
- 400 g grilled polenta for serving
- 1 tsp salt and white pepper
Method
- Soak salt cod in cold water for 48 hours, changing the water 4 times. Skin and bone the fish.
- Cover with fresh water plus the garlic clove. Simmer 25 minutes. Drain, save a cup of the liquid.
- Flake the fish into a heavy bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon, drizzling in olive oil very slowly as for mayonnaise. Alternate splashes of warm milk to keep it light.
- Continue beating 15 minutes until pale, fluffy, glossy — like a creamy whipped cloud.
- Season with salt, white pepper, parsley.
- Serve at room temperature spread on grilled yellow polenta.