Baccalà: Step by Step. How to Prepare your Christmas Eve Baccala

Baccalà: Step by Step

It's that time of year again, when we resort back to the times before refrigeration...and buy fish that is so dried out and salted that you can use it as a bat in your next game of wiffle ball in a pinch. But it's tradition, and tradition is what makes the holidays so special.  I always get sentimental when I am standing over the sink, handling the baccala pieces in the sink full of water, thinking to myself that generations of Italian women in my family have been torturing themselves with this tradition for centuries.  I love all the dishes and recipes that come from baccala, but I have to be honest and say that I just don't understand why we all can't just buy fresh cod (like civilized people since the invention of refrigeration) and make the same dishes? We soak baccala to arrive at the same result as fresh fish; white flaky fillets. But I myself have to admit, even with my latest thoughts, that I still found myself this year buying my annual 2 pieces of baccala at DeLallo's.   It wouldn't feel like Christmas if I don't "tend" to my baccala for 3 straight days and nights.   So here are some helpful tips to bring your baccala back to life:

 Baccalà— is Italian for salted codfish—comes mostly from the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland, where it’s fished, salted and exported all over the world. Here are some tips for how to choose and prepare your baccalà.

1. When you pick out a piece of baccalà remember that the color of the meat should be close to white and the skin light colored. If the meat color tends towards yellow, do not buy it.

2. If sold whole, try to buy a long, thick fish; if possible it should be a bit more than one-inch thick in the middle of the filet.

3. If it’s not already packed and wrapped in plastic, and you’re allowed to smell it, remember that its odor, even if a bit intense, must be of fish and nothing else (no chemical smells should be evident).

4. Prior to soaking, cut your baccala into large pieces.  Cutting the fish before soaking helps speed up the re-hydration process.

5. At least two days prior to cooking (but we recommend 3 days if you have the time), you should begin soaking your salted baccalà in fresh water (at least 36-48 hours). First wash the pieces thoroughly, eliminating all the salt on the surface, and then completely submerge in any container that will hold a lot of water; change the water at least three times a day (every eight hours or even more frequently). While soaking, keep the baccala in a cool place.  Refrigeration is not necessary.

6. Just before cooking, peel off the skin and eliminate any bones—a pair of small pliers will be very helpful for this.