Qualitaly

april- may 2015

At page 28

Baccalà and

stockfish, “children”

of the same fish

We would like to clarify the

differences and characteristics of two

specialties that are actually the result

of two processes of preservation of

the same fish, which today enjoy

great credit in catering

By Mariella BONI

Stockfish and Baccalà: salted the first,

the second dried, are two methods to

conserve cod from the ancient tradition.

These products have in fact centuries,

when there were no other methods

of conservation of fisheries. Suffice it

to say that the arrival of the Stockfish

in Italy is attributed to the Venetian

navigator Pietro Querini who in 1431

landed in the archipelago of Lofoten

Islands, off the coast of Norway, where

he discovered the fish-stick dried in

the wind of the northern seas, easily

transportable, who brought with him

to return to the Serenissima. Baccalà

is dried to perfection generally from

mid-June and the right degree of drying

is based on an evaluation by expert

graders (the vraker), involved in the

classification based on the length, the

size, weight and other characteristics

quality that only long practice allows to

know in depth.

Coming to the present day it is worth to

make a clarification. We talk properly

with cod and cod Stockfish when

based on the type or Pacific cod Gadus

morhua, although I’m not certain the

only variety of cod that swim in the

seas.

Each region prefers one or the other,

using them in many recipes. Famous

example is the recipe for cod Vicenza,

which despite its name is prepared with

Stockfish beaten, soaked and cooked at

length without ever being reshuffled,

as it wants the recipe coded by the

“Brotherhood of the Codfish”.

READY TO COOK. If once the cook had

to face the long wash or soak for several

days to use cod and cod, now on all

companies offering products ready for

use, saving time and effort to the chef.

We spoke with Alfrediano Dovesi from

Ghezzi Alimentari (Fi), which points out:

“The restaurateur requires us cod or

Stockfish already desalted or rehydrated,

and because they do not have the time,

and because these operations require

environments equipped, which now

deal almost always companies like

ours. It desalination rehydrates the cod

or Stockfish, which can then be sold

frozen in slices, in the hearts of fillets or

whole piece. I would like to emphasize,

however, that the market is also very

northern cod that is injected with a light

brine (approximately 2%) and frozen;

under the law is called “northern cod

lightly salted”, commonly called “light

salted”. Beyond the considerable price

difference (the northern cod is much

less expensive than the cod, almost

half), this product has a texture and

a minor cut very different from the

true cod. It is important to know this

difference and suggest that you read the

labels to make informed choices. That

said, on the processing of cod desalting

is the stress that we carried out at

temperatures between 0 and 2 ° C:

this allows to have no yeast which can

create unpleasant odors and defects in

fish. The processing of cod instead, that

in our area do not want to beat (as for

example in the Veneto want him beaten,

and then the fibers are broken and

rehydration becomes shorter, about 3

days), it takes about 14 days, thanks to a

soaking in the water in the tank static.”

“Practically all the Stockfish - says

Veronica Quadrio from Unifrigo Gadus,

company that from mid ‘800 matter cod

and cod, with manufacturing facilities

in Genoa and Naples - is now Gadus

morhua, produced only in the area

of Norway. Of course there are many

other types of dried cod, but can not

be defined Stockfish. Equally specific

is the preparation of the cod, which

requires a precise salting procedure

that differs from the “light salted”, a cod

fillet (of a different variety than the G.

and G. morhua macrocephalus) lightly

salted and frozen for infiltration. Our

company deals with do the soaking

Stockfish: soaked Genovese, in Baffa;

Venetian beaten and soaked; soaked

and cut in pieces, as they ask in

Lombardy and Piedmont). The cod is

instead desalted and stored in modified

atmosphere (while I Stockfish is kept

under vacuum). It is therefore cuts

ready for cooking, with a time-delimited

conservation.”

BEWARE OF DIFFERENCES. Dino Verso

from Verso Brokers underlines: “We are

intermediaries between producers of

northern Europe and the distribution

then we import such as Norway, Iceland

etc. But cod and cod are essentially

raw materials, which generally are not

placed on the market as such, but are

processed, so that the cook should not

waste his time in these long, delicate

operations. It should be noted that

there are many qualities: cod (of the

two varieties already mentioned, ed) is

fished from mid-January until Easter,

then put to dry in the air until June and

then selected according to the quality

and sizes; from late July onwards begins

to be distributed. It is a valuable product

but sells for “patchy”: for example like

in Messina, sells well in Calabria, Naples

and Salerno, as is required in Liguria

and Veneto. Much more widespread

consumption of salted cod, of which the

most valuable variety is what you get

from fresh cod (but there is also that of

cod from frozen cod). Of course all this

is meticulously indicated on the label.”

In turn Roberto Zanobi of Formasal,

associated company Cic, explains: “In

business we have always provided the

cod dry Gaspé (cod lightly salted and

dried, a process typical of Canada,

nrd), the loins of salt cod in Norwegian

and a typology oil pan ready in 2 kg.

As for the stockfish is an article in

our country has fallen into disuse,

although sometimes it is required

to order over the Christmas period.

These are products, which do not

carry out-processing: is the refreshing

(except for the type in oil) which must

provide for the desalination and then

use in its basic recipe. In addition to

these references, we have the fresh cod

from portion and the various types of

frozen cod (fillets, steaks and battered).

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