Sea Bass Risotto Istrian Recipe

Sea bass risotto is light, creamy and flavoursome, it is made with very simple and delicate in flavour ingredients.

This dish is a true testimony to honest and uncomplicated cooking. It might not be the most colourful dish, it is modest, and humble in its appearance, but it most surely delivers in flavour. It will delight all the generations around the dinner table and will be enjoyed by the most reluctant fish eaters due to its very mild “fishy taste”.

This Venetian inspired risotto is made with fresh sea bass, a very much appreciated fish. It is one that is considered to be a real delicacy, and is very often represented in the antique mosaics by the Romans. A good quality fish stock is pretty much essential to the success of this risotto. Home made fish stock is very easy and quick to make, it is fresh, resourceful, sustainable and incredibly satisfying and economical since you are using up every part of the fish.

What are the origins of this type of risotto? The fishermen sold the precious filets of fish in the market, and so to provide for their families, they used the left-over bones and heads, which they cooked to form the most delicious stock that was then used for cooking this type of risotto.

Venetian style risotto is very popular along the Slovenian coast, where I come from, an area once part of ‘La Serenissima,’ the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Sea bass or sea bream risotto is found in most good fish restaurants and cooked in local households on a regular basis.

I am sharing here my family's recipe for this rustic fish based risotto, that can equally, and proudly sit on elegant plates during a more formal dining setting.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

Fish Stock

• 500g roughly, sea bass or sea bream (1 big fish or two smaller in size) washed, cleaned, gutted and scaled (fishmonger will be happy to do this for you)

  You can use other type of sustainable white fish like hake, pollack, and flat fish, avoid oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, as they are too fatty and will make your stock greasy and unpleasant.

  You can make the stock using just the bones, again only from the white fish. You will need about 1kg of these, the fishmonger will sell them very cheaply or even given for free.

• 1 small bay leaf or ½ of big one (fresh or dry)

• a few whole black peppercorns (about 6)

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 1 carrot (about 40g), peeled

• stick of celery (about 40g)

• 1 shallot or a piece of anion (about 40g)

• small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, washed

• extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle

• sea salt

Risotto

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 shallot or onion (about 40g), peeled and finely chopped

• 300g risotto rice (like Vialone Nano, Arborio, Carnaroli)

• fish chunks removed from previously cooked sea bass or sea bream

• 1 litre of hot fish stock

• knob of butter

• handful of freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, optionala

• small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 4g), finely chopped

Method

Fish Stock

Start by preparing the fish stock.

Place the fish in a pan, big enough to accommodate the fish lying flat (if using 2 fishes lie them next to each other or one on top of the other).

Add a few black whole peppercorns, clove of garlic, bay leaf, a generous pinch of sea salt and about 1.5 litres of cold water.

Bring to boil, turn down the heat, cover with the lid, and gently cook the fish for about 10-15 minutes.

When almost cooked, remove from the water, place on a big plate and allow to cool a bit.

When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and the fish meat from the bones in medium size chunks, put them in the bowl, cover so the fish pieces do not dry, and set aside for later use.

Put the head and the bones back in the pot, in the same water in which the fish was cooked.Add a carrot, celery stick, shallot or onion, fresh flat leaf parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover with the lid and gently simmer for about 30 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

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Place the fine sieve over a saucepan and pass the stock through a sieve. Discard the head, bones and cooked down vegetables.

Put the saucepan with the stock back on the stove, on a very minimum heat, put the lid on and keep it warm and ready to hand for later use.

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Risotto

Place the oil in a pan and gently sauté chopped shallots or onions until soft.

Add the risotto rice and toast a bit, stirring constantly to avoid sticking to the pan.

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Add the fragments of sea bass or sea bream.

Start gradually adding ladles of hot fish stock, one at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.

There should always be enough liquid just to cover the risotto.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is cooked al dente, meaning fully cooked but still a bit firm when bitten.

Removing from the stove, add a knob of cold butter and a handful of freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese and finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Stir with a wooden spoon, quite vigorously, in order to develop its delicious creamy texture.

The risotto should be smooth and runny enough to be described by the Italians as risotto all'onda, meaning risotto on the wave.

Serve immediately while the risotto is still hot.

Just a thought

To cut the corners, you can make this risotto by using fresh sea bass or sea bream fillets and using a high quality store bought fish stock.

Sea bass risotto will keep in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container.

It can be enjoyed at room temperature as well, and is not suitable for freezing.

Wine Suggestion

Soave Classico DOC "Calvarino" 2020 - Pieropan

Stuffed Squid Istrian Recipe

Stuffed squid is a light and delicate fish based dish packed full of flavour, with simple ingredients being used for the stuffing mixture to maximise the scent and flavour of the squid.

This is a very tasty seafood recipe, perfect for any occasion and any season, and makes a fantastic centrepiece, you will surely impress your family and friends.

Works for both rustic style eating or slightly more formal and elegant dining, whether for big parties or small groups alike.

Squid is a highly popular ingredient in Istrian cooking, it is used to make rosotti, fish soups and stews, grilled and deep fried squid are very much loved.

Stuffed squid represents one of the most quintessentially Istrian seafood based dishes, it is made in the households, maybe not perhaps as your average mid week supper but prepared during the weekends or festivities or to mark a special occasion. Along the Slovenian coast stuffed squid would be traditionally briefly cooked in white busara sauce (simple sauce made with olive oil, hint of garlic, white wine and fresh parsley), as supposed to the red busara sauce variation where tomato element is added to the basic white busara sauce.

This is the dish that would be prepared and cooked instead of a meat roast, and also commonly found on the menus in the restaurants (polnjeni kalamari or nadevani lignji, calamari ripien).

Stuffed squid has been very much loved in the family, my father especially adored cooking this dish, and here I am sharing his recipe, serve this dish to your guests and and you will most certainly not fail to impress.

Recipe

Ingredients

• about 1 kg fresh medium size squid

  (the sacks of the squid should be long between 13-15cm, if they are too short and small you will find it a bit tricky to fill, very big squid not particularly suitable for this recipe), bodies and tentacles separated, if using frozen squid, defrost first

• about 80g dry breadcrumbs

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some extra

• 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and very finely chopped

• small handful (about 3g) fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus some extra for the sauce

• 50ml white wine, optional

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Clean and prepare the fresh squid and separate the tentacles. When cleaning the squid be careful not to damage the pockets (sacks), as the filling might come out during the cooking process.

If uncomfortable tackling this task, your fishmonger will be happy to do it for you.

Tap dry cleaned squid pockets with kitchen paper.

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Start by making the stuffing.

Place the oil in a large non stick frying pan. Weight the squid tentacles, then chop quite finely and add to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, add white wine if using, and cook further until all the wine evaporates.

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Turn off the heat and add an equal wight of breadcrumbs.

Add finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, crushed garlic and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well so all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning, set aside.

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Stuff the squid sacks with the mixture, using the teaspoon, not too full, or they can potentially burst during the cooking.

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Close the openings of the sacks with cocktail sticks (toothpick).

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Use the same non stick large frying pan and pour a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Gently fry stuffed squid in batches, if making large quantity, (do not overcrowd the pan) for about a minute or so on each side until they start to colour.

If you have leftover stuffing mixture, add it to the pan.

Add a touch of water, cover with the lid (ideally a lid with a steam whole) and cook on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes.

Move them around gently, now and gain, taking care not to break them.

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During the cooking a small amount of the filling will come out and become part of a delicious sauce that should not be too thick nor to watery.

If your sauce is too watery, cook for a short while until the sauce thickens to your desire, if on the other hand you think the sauce is too thick for your liking, just dilute a bit by adding a splash of water.

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When the squid is cooked , remove the cocktail sticks (toothpicks).

Sprinkle with some extra roughly chopped parsley and serve hot with some fresh crunchy rustic bread, toasted bread, bruschetta or soft cooked or grilled yellow or white polenta.

Just a thought

You can add a bit of freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese to the breadcrumb mixture.

Sometimes when you buy frozen squid, they come with no tentacles. In this case you can replace the tentacles for the filling with 1-2 thin slices of finely chopped Prosciuutto crudo (Italian dry ham). Be mindful of the seasoning as the prosciutto crudo is quite salty.

It is quite common also to use parboiled white rice (cooked al dente) instead of dry breadcrumbs to make the filling, and you can also substitute bread crumbs with some old and stale bread (no crust) soaked in a bit of water, squeeze well to remove the excess, 1 lightly beaten egg.

This dish is best eaten fresh, when just cooked, but can be stored in a fridge for a day or two at most, in an airtight container, and it is not really suitable for freezing.

If you do want to be ahead of time you can clean the squid and make the filling a day before and store them overnight in the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered with cling film.

You can add some chopped tomatoes to the white busara sauce if you prefer red busara sauce variation.

Wine suggestion

Collio Friulano DOC 2019 - Borgo del Tiglio

One Pot Roasted Octopus with Potatoes and Vegetables Istrian Recipe (Octopus Peka)

One pot roasted octopus with potatoes and vegetables called Octopus Peka (dish found in Slovenian and Croatian Istria and along Dalmatian coast in Croatia) is seriously delicious, very aromatic and one of the easiest and simplest recipe for a one pot roast where the preparation for it requires minimal effort but the finished dish is a serious show stopper, and although this dish is very rustic and formal, for locals it feels very special and celebratory, as it is usually prepared for a large number of people, for friends and family to mark a special occasion

The word Peka, in Slovenian (also called črpinja) and in Croatian, refers to a large metal baking dish with a lid that resembles a bell-shaped dome but it is also a name given to the finished dish (lamb peka, octopus peka etc.) cooked with this very ancient method (in an open fireplace) and the oldest roasting technique which ensures the slow and even cooking as hot coals and embers are placed on top of the dome.

Most of us do not have a possibility to make this dish with the authentic and traditional peka method, but I am sharing here the recipe that would come as close as you can get to the “real deal octopus peka” using Dutch oven, cast iron casserole dish, even a baking tray and some aluminium foil will do.

Serve this dish hot, place the pot in the centre of the table and make sure there is plenty of crunchy bread to soak up the juices, prepare a mixed salad to accompany the dish, and you are ready to go.

I am sharing here this traditional one pot roasted octopus using potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic as basic selection of vegetables, together with fresh fennel bulb that can be replaced by courgettes, aubergines, and bell peppers. Play around and use the vegetables, or a combination of vegetables that you like or prefer. There really is no wrong or right way here, the most important thing is that you enjoy the dish!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• octopus, cleaned, 1 big or a few smaller ones, about 2kg in weight (fishmongers will be happy to clean it for you).

• For this recipe it is best if the octopus has been previously frozen and then thawed, or buy an already frozen octopus if you can.

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• onion (about 150g) peeled and cut into chunks

• carrots (about 280g) peeled and roughly cut into chunks

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled

• tomatoes (I used 6 mini San Marzano Tomatoes), you can use other variety of small tomatoes or use one bigger in size and cut into chunks

• one fresh fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into chunks. You can also replace fennel with other vegetables, such as courgettes, aubergines and bell peppers, or you can use fennel in addition to other vegetables. Few black pitted olives are a tasty addition too.

• 50ml white wine, optional

• extra virgin olive oil, a very generous drizzle

• one small sprig of fresh or dry rosemary

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Place clean and defrosted octopus (or octopuses) in a pan, put the lid on and cook the octopus on a medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. There will be quite a lot of liquid coming out of the octopus. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

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Put all the vegetables in a Dutch oven, baking dish or tray, and very generously drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and mix well.

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Place previously cooked octopus on top of the vegetable and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Put the lid on and roast for 60 minutes.

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Take the lid off and roast for further 10 minutes, or a bit more if there is still a lot of liquid. This will partially depend on the type of vegetables you are using and personal preference.

You want enough liquid so the final dish is juicy and moist.

Place the dish at the centre of the table, so everyone can help themselves, with some crunchy bread to soak up the juices and maybe a nice fresh salad.

Just a thought

This dish is best served hot immediately.

It can be reheated but the dish will be slightly drier as the potatoes and other vegetables will soak up all the juices, although it will still be tasty though.

This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Wine suggestion

Vitovska 2019 - Čotar

Braised Cuttlefish Recipe

Braised cuttlefish is a simple, comforting and rustic dish, and it uses only few ingredients. The cuttlefish is slow cooked in a light tomato sauce with white wine to the point of becoming so tender that the cuttlefish almost melts into your mouth and you hardly need a knife to cut it. It is very easy to prepare and a fantastic recipe if you want to make a seafood based meal ahead of time. Cuttlefish stew is a staple dish in Venice and a real delicacy, famous in particular for being cooked in its black ink.

Cuttlefish are plentiful in British waters but the majority are sent to the continent where there is a high demand, and it is greatly appreciated.

Braised cuttlefish is a dish that is prepared in particular in coastal towns and villages in Slovenian Istra, since there is a cuttlefish habitat along the Adriatic coast. The tides push the fish towards the sandy shallows where it becomes an easy catch for the fishermen.

Braised cuttlefish play an important role in the local gastronomy and the locals are very grateful to the Venetians to have “left behind” this aspect of the marine and coastal ecology, given the very lengthy and strong presence of the Venetian Republic in the territory. Cuttlefish is not as frequently found in local restaurants as one might expect, although it is one of the most loved meals in the family.

If you have never had cuttlefish before or had it but were put off for whatever reason, try my nona's family recipe, you might just change your mind. If you are worried about handling fresh cuttlefish, fishmongers in general, will be more than happy to prepare the cuttlefish for you, they will clean all the ink off the cuttlefish, remove the skin and wash thoroughly the tentacles.

All you will be left with is beautifully cleaned cuttlefish that only needs to be cut into bite size pieces or strips, easy!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion (about 130g), finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

• handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, stalks included (about 10g), finely chopped, plus some extra when serving

• 1 kg (roughly) cuttlefish, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces or strips. Already cleaned frozen cuttlefish as a alternative works well for this recipe

• 100 ml white wine

• 300 ml water

• 2 Tbsp tomato purée

• sea salt

• finely ground black pepper

• red chilli, a tiny bit, optional

Method

Put extra virgin olive oil in a pan or casserole dish, add finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, generous pinch of sea salt and fry gently until soft and lightly golden in colour.

Add finely chopped fresh parsley and mix together with fried onions and garlic.

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Add the cuttlefish and fry further for about 2 minutes.

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Cuttlefish will start turning whitish in colour and release liquid.

Add white wine, allow it to evaporate and reduce roughly by half.

Add tomato purée, water, sea salt and black pepper and stir together to combine. Bring to boil.

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Turn down the heat, partially cover with the lid and gently simmer for about 45minute to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. By this time the cuttlefish should be really very tender when you insert the fork into it. The final texture of the sauce should be velvety and thick and not too runny when you spoon it onto serving plates.

If the sauce is too thick add a little a bit of water to dilute it slightly, on the contrary, if the sauce is too runny and watery in consistency, cook further until the sauce thickens a bit.

Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle with some roughly chopped fresh parsley and serve hot with crusty bread, white or yellow polenta, soft cooked or grilled, or some boiled potatoes or cooked rice.

Just a thought

Braised cuttlefish can also be used as a base for making risotto or tossed with egg based fresh pasta.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for no longer than two day suitable for freezing.

The traditional recipe does not call for red chilli but adding a tiny bit gives this dish a real nice kick without overpowering the “sweetness” of the cuttlefish.

Wine suggestion

"Gardelin" 2016 - Aleks Klinec

Sautéed Savoy Cabbage with potatoes, garlic and olive oil Istrian Recipe

Let's face it, not a lot of people I know will get particularly excited about the cabbage, but slowly cooked down and sautéed savoy cabbage with delicate boiled potatoes, fragrant garlic, excellent olive oil and seasoned well with sea salt, will most certainly made up in the taste for what maybe lacks in appearance. This comforting and rustic vegetable side dish is simply delicious, trusted and reliable gastronomic companion to just about any meat dish, very easy to prepare, healthy, nutritious and inexpensive.

When savoy cabbage is cooked well with just a few excellent quality and fresh ingredients tastes nothing like you imagine, and it might convert the most austere cabbage 'dislikers'. This recipe can become a new classic cabbage dish for your family, changing what they have in mind when thinking about cabbage - if they ever even think about cabbage! This recipe completely changes the taste and texture of the cabbage, and it becomes “sweet”, soft, and ever so slightly mushy and velvety in a pleasant way.

I have never thought about this aspect of the dish, nor have I ever been bothered about it, as I grew up with it and have always been fully aware of the reward you get on the palate when it is cooked properly.

This dish is deeply rooted in Slovenian Istra, and is one of the most traditional dishes to be cooked as part of everyday family meals during autumn and winter when savoy cabbage is in full season and is most full of flavour. When it tastes at its best, it takes nothing less than the central place on dining tables, and as tradition wants, especially on Christmas Eve, together with salted cod spread and fritole (Istrian small doughnuts).

It is during these colder months of the year that my mother and most other households would prepare this side dish. My brother and I have always found this dish somehow reassuring, we would eat it paired with breaded, pan fried chicken escallops or pork Wiener schnitzel, which is one of the most common ways of serving it.

If there were any leftovers, my mother would reheat them, and they would be served with fried eggs - no waste, no hassle, and another meal sorted, and so happy children, and also happy, or relieved mom!

This recipe is normally made with freshly cooked cabbage and potatoes but it is made, and it can be made, using left over cooked cabbage and boiled potatoes which is a fantastic way to reduce food waste.

If you are one of those cabbage non-lovers, and managed to read up to this point about my enthusiasm for this humble vegetable, I warmly invite you to try this recipe, you might have a revolutionary moment and convert, this dish might just become one of your favourite autumn/winter vegetable side dishes.

I am sharing here my family recipe, give it a chance to see how nice it tastes

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

• 1 savoy cabbage, cored and roughly chopped

• 2 medium size potatoes (about 380g), peeled and cubed

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut lengthwise

• 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the best quality you can afford)

• sea salt

• ground black pepper, optional

Method

Cut up the savoy cabbage into quarters, remove core, cut roughly into smaller pieces and wash thoroughly

Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and wash under cold running water.

Place both cabbage and the potatoes in a fairly big pot and add water to completely cover.

Bring to boil, turn the heat down, add a pinch of salt and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until potatoes and cabbage are cooked but still a bit firm.

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When cooked, drain in a colander and leave for a few minutes so the extra water can drain well.

Put the extra virgin olive oil and the garlic in a pan (you can use the same pan that you cooked the cabbage and potatoes in, just dry it well) or use a skillet.

Cook the garlic in the oil until golden in colour allowing to flavour the oil, then remove and discard the garlic.

Add potatoes and the cabbage to the pan or skillet and cook down for about 20 minutes on a gentle heat stirring occasionally until a nice soft and velvety consistency.

While cooking, break the potatoes a bit with a back of wooden spoon or a fork but do not mash it completely.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and add ground black if using.

Serve hot immediately.

Just a thought

This side dish will keep very well in fridge in the airtight container for a few days. Reheat well before serving warm.

Not particularly suitable for freezing.

Salted Cod in tomato sauce Istrian Recipe

Salted Cod in tomato sauce Istrian Recipe

This main, fish based dish is absolutely delicious and very special! It is rustic but delicate and elegant at the same time - cod is cooked in a simple tomato sauce enriched with onions, garlic, and fresh parsley. It is very easy to make but it does require a bit of organization and planning ahead since it is traditionally prepared with dried stockfish or salted cod that needs to be soaked and hydrated, although in this recipe you have the option to use fresh cod or similar.

This recipe is a real classic holiday and festive dish in Slovenian Istra, and holds a very special place among the locals. Dried stockfish was once a food for the poor but nowadays is a staple dish and considered a delicacy taking central stage on household tables during Christmas and Easter as it is cooked on holy days during the fasting from meat.

Dried stockfish was introduced in Istria in 15th century from Venetian cuisine, and this should not be surprising since the Venetians established a monopoly in the Adriatic Sea.

The origins of this fish, however, is far away from being local dish. It can be traced to the extreme north of Norway, to the Lofoten Islands where the Vikings, most probably the earliest inhabitants of the area, had to find a solution to the perpetual problem of hunger. They fished enormous cod shoals, then they dried the headed and gutted fish in the strong winds of the north, hanging them by their tails, the fish turned as hard as a plank of wood and it would last for a very, very long time.

This dried fish eventually started to be sold by the Norwegians to the rest of Europe, sometime in the eleven century. Gastronomically speaking, and perhaps surprisingly, dried stockfish has not been particularly well appreciated by the Scandinavians. On the contrary, in the Mediterranean countries, stockfish became an elevated dish, it was highly valued, and much more appreciated.

The biggest consumers of dry cod, just to mention a few, are Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, West Africa, Caribbean, and many other countries.

Local people back home, on the Slovenian coast, are very traditional and conservative when it comes to the choice of the ingredients and cooking, therefore the use of dried stockfish would be the first choice to prepare this dish. The use of less traditional salted pieces of cod would be the second choice influenced mainly by simplicity, practicality and speed, and this is the type of cod I I use for this recipe.

In the recipe description below I am also giving you the option to use fresh cod or a similar fish, if you have difficulty finding dried stockfish, salted cod or pre-soaked cod, or simply prefer to use fresh fish instead.

Here, in the United Kingdom, where I currently live, you can find and buy dried stockfish or salted cod (sold vacuum packed) in Italian delicatessen shops especially around Christmas and Easter or alternatively order it from your trusted fishmonger or from an on-line specialist shop.

I am sharing here this very special family festive recipe in honour of my father, who very sadly is no longer with us, and who absolutely adored preparing and enjoying this dish.

At the start of Christmas season, my father would buy dried stockfish, soaked it, cooked it, removed the skin and all the bones to be left with bite size pieces that would get vacuum packed and I would take the pack on the plane back to the UK...

Ingredients

• 500g salted cod or about 800g of already pre-soaked cod (soaked and rehydrated cod almost doubles its original weight) Both varieties are sold vacuum packed in form of fillets with no bones.

  (can use about 800g of fresh cod fillets or similar like haddock or pollock instead)

  Whole stockfish (unsalted, dry cod) is traditionally used for this recipe.

• white flour (for coating the fish)

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin oil

• 1 medium onion (about 140g) finely chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

• 1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 12g)

• 250g plum or other types of tomatoes (when in season), quartered or chopped. Use tomato passata, tinned chopped or plum tomatoes as alternative.

• sea salt, if needed

Method

Serves 4

How you start this recipe will really depend on what type of cod you have.

1. If you have salted cod (I used this type for the recipe) first you need to rinse well the salted cod under very cold running water. Place rinsed cod in an airtight container, fill it completely with freezing cold water, and with some ice, if you have it, so the fillets are completely submerged. Close the lid and put the container in the fridge. Change the water after 24 hours and place in the fridge for another day. After 48 hours, the cod will be completely soaked. Remove the cod from the container, rinse well with cold water and tap dry with kitchen paper. Cut the fillet in portion size.

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2. You can buy (a bit trickier to find, at least in the United Kingdom) already soaked and rehydrated cod. In this case just rinse with running cold water, tap dry and cut in portion size.

3. You can simply use fresh cod or similar like haddock or pollock fillets and cut it into portion size.

4. You can buy a whole dried stockfish. This could prove the trickiest option as the stock fish might be quite long and you need quite a big stock pot to fit it in, fill completely with very cold water and soak for at least 3 days, changing the water every day. If you do not have a very big pot to fit the whole stockfish you can use a smaller pot, like a regular 5 litre stock pot, and then place the stockfish in a pot, half of it will probably stick out, and half will be submerged in the water. Soak the submerged part of stockfish for 24 hours and after this time the soaked part of the stockfish will get soft enough to bend, which will allow you to bend it in a such a way for the whole stockfish to be completely submerged into the water in order to get properly rehydrated.

No need for rinsing as the dried stockfish is not salted. Soaked and rehydrated cod needs then to be cooked until tender, for about 1 hour or just over. When is cooked take the skin off and remove all the bones. You are left with portion size or smaller bite size piece ready to be used for this recipe.

Very lightly coat the pieces of cod in flour and shake off the excess.

Place oil in a pan (the pan should be big enough so all the pieces of cod are nicely tucked next to each other and do not overlap).

Add finely chopped onions, crashed garlic and sauté very gently until soft.

Place chopped tomatoes or passata in a pan and cook further for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. If using fresh tomatoes make sure they are soft and use the back of a fork to squash a bit.

Place cod pieces in a tomato sauce, add finely chopped parsley and enough water to almost cover the cod fillets. If using fresh cod add the water half way up as it cooks quicker.

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Partially cover with the lid and on a gentle heat cook for about 40 minutes, shaking the pan now and again. If using fresh cod the cooking time will be slightly reduced.

After this time you should end up with the velvety sauce that is not too thick nor too thin and liquidy.

If the the sauce, however, is too thin sprinkle a bit of flour or breadcrumbs and cook further briefly until you get the desired consistency.

Contrary, if the sauce gets too thick dilute it with a bit of water.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt especially if preparing this dish using dried stockfish or fresh fish. If using salted cod you will most probably not need any extra sea salt for seasoning, as although the fish gets soaked and desalinated, the fish still retains some of the salt, and this gets released during cooking.

Just a thought

This dish is traditionally served with soft cooked polenta or some crunchy bread to soak up the sauce.

Salted cod in tomato sauce can also be eaten with the pasta of your choice or it can be used as a base to make a risotto.

This dish will keep well in the fridge for few days in an airtight container and is suitable for freezing.

Wine suggestion

Pinot Bianco DOC 2020- Doro Princic