Baccalà alla Livornese (Salt Cod and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce)

(Salt Cod and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce) is an Italian fish recipe typical of the Tuscan tradition. The recipe we are going to show you is the authentic Italian recipe of salted codfish with potatoes and tomato sauce; a unique dish, complete and really delicious!Baccalà alla Livornese recipe is quite simple, although it requires many steps in its execution. First of all, prepare a tomato sauce made with sautéed onion. Separately, cook the floured pieces of salt cod. Finally put the codfish and potatoes in the tomato sauce and finish cooking.

📝 Ingredients

• 800 g salt cod (- 1.3 pound)
• 2 big potatoes
• 100 g flour (- 1 cup)
• 100 ml dry white wine (- 1/2 cup)
• salt (- to taste)
• black pepper (- to taste)
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 400 g tomato passata or 600 g (2 cups) of peeled tomatoes (- 1 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1cut: Clean and slice the onions quite finely. Then peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes of about 3 cm (⅓ inch). Set the potatoes aside.
2. 2cook: In a pan heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil, add the whole garlic clove and the onion slices. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water and cover with the lid. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion has softened.
3. 3Add the tomato passata or peeled tomatoes and a pinch of salt for flavor. Stir and cover with a lid. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
4. 4desalt: While the tomato sauce is cooking, start preparing the fish. First DESALT THE CODFISH reading the paragraph below "How to Desalt Baccala".
5. 5Cut the desalted cod into slices of about 5 cm (2 inch). Carefully flour the pieces of salt cod on each side. It's not necessary to remove the skin of the Baccala. The skin is very thin and free of scales and helps keep the fish together during cooking.
6. 6Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. The pan should be quite large because it needs to accommodate the fish, tomato sauce and potatoes.
7. 7add: Place the cod, browning it on both sides. Turn it gently then add ground black pepper to taste. Add the white wine and let it evaporate over medium-high heat.
8. 8cook: After about 15 minutes the tomato sauce is ready. Remove the garlic and pour the sauce into the pan with salt cod. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
9. 9Add the diced potatoes then cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Stir very gently so the fish do not flake. If the sauce is too dry, add half a cup of water.
10. 10serve: After about 30 minutes the cod is cooked, the sauce reduced and the potatoes soft. Your Baccalà alla Livornese is ready! Turn off the heat, taste and add a little salt if necessary. Finish with 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley and serve hot.