The Venetian style creamed codfish is an excellent appetizer but can also be served as a delightful main course.
Apart from the soaking time of the stockfish, the recipe is quite quick. You read baccalà and then stockfish. Yes, in Veneto, stockfish is used to prepare creamed codfish.
Do you know the difference between stockfish and salted cod? They both start with cod, but the difference is in the preservation method. Stockfish is gutted, headed, tied by the tail, and dried on racks by the sea for at least 3 months.
On the other hand, salted cod is gutted, headed, tied by the tail, and heavily salted inside and out, then dried on racks and regularly turned. The absorbed salt must be over 20% to be considered salted cod.
I hope you liked my explanations and found them useful.
Curious? Let’s discover together how to prepare the Venetian style creamed codfish right after the photo as always!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Days
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 133.37 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 1.57 (g) of which sugars 1.18 (g)
- Proteins 9.59 (g)
- Fat 10.41 (g) of which saturated 1.94 (g)of which unsaturated 0.45 (g)
- Fibers 0.13 (g)
- Sodium 191.91 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Venetian style creamed codfish
- 2.2 lbs stockfish (rehydrated with skin)
- 2 cups milk (fresh)
- 1 cup water
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 pinches pepper
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup water (cooking water from the codfish)
Tools
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Pot
- 1 Slotted Spoon
Preparation of Venetian style creamed codfish
Before preparing the creamed codfish, soak the stockfish in plenty of cold water for at least 48 hours.
Change the water a couple of times a day and keep it in the refrigerator.
Once the fish is soaked, remove the bones but leave the skin, which adds the right amount of fat during cooking.
Divide the stockfish into 3 pieces.
Place the fish pieces in a pot with the milk, garlic clove, and bay leaf, covering with more water.
Cook the stockfish for at least 25 minutes, then drain, remove the skin, and reserve some of its cooking liquid.
If you have a stand mixer, place the codfish in the bowl; otherwise, a food processor or simple electric whisk will do.
Start the whisks and let them work to break down the codfish pieces for 5 minutes, then begin adding the olive oil slowly, waiting for it to be absorbed with the whisks running at medium speed.
After all the oil is absorbed, continue creaming for another 5 minutes, then gradually add a little cooking water and season with ground black pepper.
Before adding any salt, taste well, and only if necessary, add it.
The creamed codfish is ready when it has a creamy yet firm consistency.
Place the Venetian codfish in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before enjoying.
Storing Venetian style creamed codfish
The creamed codfish can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days in an airtight container.
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