Calabrian Stockfish Salad with Potatoes and Tropea Onion is a typical tasty and nutritious summer dish, a complete meal because it is rich in ingredients yet light.
It is a very simple recipe, just boil or grill the stockfish and then add cooked potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives, some good Tropea onion, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and the salad is ready to enjoy.
A good tasty and colorful dish with a Mediterranean flavor, perfect as a starter, side dish, or main course.
In Calabria, stockfish is widely used throughout the year, and its preparation varies with the seasons. It’s also excellent: marinated, grilled, with potatoes and tomatoes, with pasta, in fritters, delicious in all variants.
Stockfish or stocco, as it is often called in Calabria, is a quality ingredient:
the Arctic cod undergoes a slow drying process; unlike cod, which is preserved in salt.
Cod fillets, stacked on special wooden racks, take advantage of the cold northern wind to lose most of their water content.
It is then soaked and rehydrated and ready to cook, just like cod which needs to be kept in running water for days to lose its salinity.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients for the stockfish salad
- 14 oz stockfish (or desalinated cod)
- 2 medium potatoes
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- Half Tropea onion
- 10 olives
- 1 tbsp pickled capers (drained)
- to taste olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste basil
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Stovetop
Steps for Calabrian Stockfish Salad
For this recipe, you can use either stockfish or cod, but the latter must first be cured and desalinated.
Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them in half, and cook in boiling salted water for about 15-18 minutes.
Wash and cut the stockfish into chunks, place it in a pot with some water and a little salt, and cook for about 8-10 minutes until it flakes.
You can also add it halfway through the cooking time in the same pot with the potatoes, without boiling it separately.
The cooking time also depends on the thickness of the pieces.
Once cooked, drain both.
Remove the skin and any bones from the stockfish, flake the pieces, and place them in a bowl, adding the potatoes cut into cubes.
Wash and also cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges, the Tropea onion into thin strips, and add everything to the bowl with the stockfish and potatoes, including the olives, capers, a pinch of salt, basil leaves, and then drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.
Mix everything well and then serve the salad, excellent both hot and cold.
If desired, you can also add Calabrian chili.
Storage
The salad can be stored in the fridge for a few days, great to serve cold as well.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I grill the stockfish.
Yes, of course, you can grill the fillets and then add them to the other ingredients.
Can I use cod
Certainly, but it must be desalinated in water for several days before using it in the recipe.
Can I add grilled peppers?
Sure, it will be even more appetizing. After grilling, cut the peppers into strips and add them to the other ingredients.
