Bacalà Mantecato

Bacalà Mantecato literally means "whipped cod" and is one of the oldest and most traditional dishes from Venice. In plain Norwegian, we might call this simple and delicate dish "creamy cod" or "cod pâté," mainly made from stockfish (dried cod), olive oil, bay leaves, lemon juice, and salt. All our recipes are sourced fromgodfisk.no

Photo: Tom Haga

Preparation Time: 30-45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

Servings

300 g reconstituted and cleaned dried fish
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
150 ml sunflower oil
0.5 pcs lemon
1 pcs bay leaves
salt

Method

Place the stockfish in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
Add the half lemon (be sure to wash the peel thoroughly first) and the bay leaf along with a pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the fish steep for another 15 minutes.
Now the stockfish needs to be "whipped," but remember to reserve a cup of the cooking water before starting. A kitchen mixer with a whisk is preferred, but hand whisking also works.
Gradually add the oil while mixing and season with salt. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a few tablespoons of the cooking water.
When the cod pâté is ready, it should be soft and creamy, but with a relatively firm consistency so it holds together.
Serve the "mantecato" as finger food, ideally on crackers or pieces of good bread.

Chef's notes:

In this recipe, it's better to cook the stockfish a bit too much than too little. It needs to be well cooked to be able to whip it properly.
You can also use dried cod that you hydrate yourself. This is a more involved process, and the skin must be removed.
Learn more about the fantastic raw ingredient, dried cod, here.