Baccalà alla Puttanesca (Italian Salt Cod in Puttanesca Sauce)

Baccalà alla Puttanesca is a rich and flavorful Italian fish dish inspired by the famous Neapolitan puttanesca sauce.Pasta alla Puttanesca is one of the great classics of Southern Italian cuisine, loved for its bold, savory and slightly spicy taste. In Naples it is traditionally known as “aulive e chiapparielle”, meaning olives and capers, the two key ingredients that give the sauce its unmistakable character.

📝 Ingredients

• 400 g salted cod fillet (- about 14 oz, soaked and desalinated)
• 300 g tomato passata (Italian strained tomatoes) (- about 1 1/4 cups)
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 2 anchovy fillets in oil
• 1 tablespoon capers in salt (- rinsed)
• 50 g pitted black olives (- 1.8 oz)
• 50 g pitted green olives (- 1.8 oz)
• 1 clove
• 1 fresh or dried chili pepper (- optional)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt (- to taste)
• fresh parsley (- to taste)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- How to Make the Puttanesca Sauce ---
2. 2sauté: Start by heating the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic clove and the anchovy fillets. If you like a slightly spicy flavor, you can also add a fresh or dried chili pepper.Cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies dissolve into the oil and the garlic becomes lightly golden and fragrant. Be careful not to burn it.
3. 3Remove and discard the garlic and the chili.
4. 4Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften. Pour in the tomato passata and stir well to combine.
5. 5add and cook: Add the capers and the pitted black and green olives. Reduce the heat slightly and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.Taste and adjust with salt only if necessary. Remember that salt cod, anchovies, capers and olives are already quite salty.
6. 6--- Prepare the Salt Cod and Cook ---
7. 7cut: If the skin is still attached, remove it from the soaked cod fillet. Check carefully for any bones and remove them with tweezers. Cut the cod into fairly large, even pieces so they cook uniformly.
8. 8cook: Gently place the pieces of salt cod into the simmering puttanesca sauce. Spoon some sauce over the top, cover with a lid and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.Turn the pieces halfway through cooking to ensure they absorb the flavors evenly. The cod is ready when it is tender and flakes easily with a fork.
9. 9serve: Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.Baccalà alla Puttanesca is perfect with slices of homemade crusty bread, ideal for soaking up every bit of the rich tomato sauce.