tania:
Crunchy polenta with a creamy, almost milky cod topping - this dish is amazing and a great way for fussy eaters to eat some amazing fish!
Cod and polenta are a combination made in a seafood-lover's dream! Cod in particular has a creamy texture when oven-roasted, and provides a savory companion to the milder yet also creamy corn-flour polenta.
With a simple preparation for both the Cod and Polenta components, this is a terrific recipe to pull together for any busy weekday evening.
If you've got some fresh cod in the freezer, just defrost and when it's ready to go, you will be too! Also called Baccalà locally, cod is particularly popular in the North-eastern regions, specifically the Veneto area. Every Italian region has their own version of Cod, ranging from fried (in the Lazio and Rome area) to the famous Creamed Baccalà alla Vicentina, from Vicenza.
Our recipe below is closer to this version of the authentic Polenta and Baccalà recipe, with a Tuscan twang on this classic cod recipe. If you're a seafood lover and looking to taste new Italian seafood recipes, this Creamed Cod, not far from a Cod paté, will meet your approval whole heartedly. With the only moderately complicated preparation step being to remove the cod's bones following a quick roasting in the oven, seafood success is only steps away when you follow this quick recipe for classically delicious Baccalà cream with corn-yellow polenta to accompany your Cod.
Come explore this tempting Italian seafood classic, and let me know how nuts your loved ones go for it on my social media pages. Loving this seafood option? Be sure to check out the Mamablip video recipe tutorial here for Fresh Tagliolini with Clams and Bottarga - it's another winner!
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Try it with...
Filippo Bartolotta
for 4 servings
Step
1
Of 3
Cook the cod in foil, with a drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt and the sprigs of thyme. Seal your foil sheet well around the fish, and bake for about 20 minutes at 180°.
Now clean the fish from the skin and all the bones and put the fillets in a bowl, preferably ceramic.
Sprinkle with pepper and salt, add the chopped parsley and begin to gently break up the fillets.
Now slowly add 150g of the olive oil and continue stirring. The cod should turn slightly yellow.
Step
2
Of 3
Bring 1L of water to a boil, add salt to taste, and very slowly add the polenta (use cornmeal, make sure it is not of the precooked variety), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Allow the polenta to simmer for at least 1 hour, constantly stirring
Step
3
Of 3
Once your polenta has cooled down and is solid, turn it over onto a cutting board.
Cut slices about 1 cm thick and 5/6 cm long and cook it again on a well heated steak grill, or in the oven at 220C for a few minutes, until outside is crunchy.
Finally, place two or three slices of polenta on a flat plate and top with the creamed codfish.
Try it with...
Filippo Bartolotta
A lively, fresh, harmonious and pleasantly versatile wine from Masottina Wine Estate
View productNo Name from the Borgogno is a label of protest, a wine without a name "against the bureaucracy that afflicts the world of wine"
View productA Brunello di Montalcino which represents the philosophy, winemaking style and terroir of Podere le Ripi
View productA lively, fresh, harmonious and pleasantly versatile wine from Masottina Wine Estate
View productNo Name from the Borgogno is a label of protest, a wine without a name "against the bureaucracy that afflicts the world of wine"
View productA Brunello di Montalcino which represents the philosophy, winemaking style and terroir of Podere le Ripi
View producttania Thursday 14th of January 2021
Polenta and Cod, you can't go wrong!
Crunchy polenta with a creamy, almost milky cod topping - this dish is amazing and a great way for fussy eaters to eat some amazing fish!