Name: Baccalà Mantecato (Whipped Salt Cod)
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: Milk for cooking (optional), plus about ½ cup milk, heated, if needed; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed; 4 cups water; 1 cup white or yellow polenta; 2 pounds boneless salt cod; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 6 tablespoons osetra caviar (optional); ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperaturer; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Enoteca

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2001

About

Baccalà mantecato is a signature dish of Venice. It is served in almost all the local bacari (wine bars), so I was not surprised when every enoteca in the Veneto that responded to my inquiry sent a recipe for this purée of salt cod whipped with olive oil. Baccalà mantecato may be served on grilled bread or on grilled, baked, or fried polenta crostini, but it is sensational spooned atop soft, warm polenta. And if you are feeling extravagant, crown this duo of warm and cool with a dollop of o