We just talked about how the real Venetians pass the time in their hometown in our recent article about bar-hopping in Venice, Italy. What jumped out was the culture of the flourishing bàcaro, or a wine bar Venice style. Not your typical Italian restaurant, these bàcaro are meant for socializing while snacking and sipping on a spritz or glass of Italian wine. They give an interesting twist to the Venice, Italy restaurant scene, that allows even the most fleeting of tourist to taste many foods and wines in a short amount of time.

Let’s explore an important aspect of a trip to a bàcaro, wine and food, in particular a food that has fallen out of favor in American over the past 50 plus years, yet remains a strong tradition in Venice, and the entire region of Veneto, Italy, for that matter: baccala. Pop open a bottle of Italian sparkling wine while you try this a typical recipe from Venice and be transported to the canals of Venice Italy.

What Ever Happened to Cod?

We, as a community, were introduced to baccala, cod that has been cured, or preserved, during the Covid lockdowns of the spring of 2020 when we spoke with Venice native LA chef Luca Manderino. While he restaurant was closed due to the pandemic, Vero founder, Sheila Donohue, proposed to do a VeroTalk as a virtual cooking show. When asked what dish to show us, Luca immediately went for this piece of dried cod that he had on hand. A common food in Venice, baccalà is salted cod, also known as stoccafisso.

Cod fish’s history links up European history with American history. According to Wikipedia, cod fish became popular in Northern Europe, especially with the Vikings who caught on early that it is easy preserve since it adapts well to being salted. Then, in the early 1600’s the early Americans in New England realized they had a benefit over their European neighbors as they could fish year round for this versatile and necessary food staple at the time. Cod became “the first major economic export of the Americas is what opened the door to the revolution” as it created the first independently wealthy Americans. Where do you think Cape Cod got its name from?

Unfortunately, over time, cod became overfished, and with modern comforts, like refrigeration, dried salted fish fell out of favor as a staple in our diets, as the range of foods we have available expanded. Yet, in Europe, like in Venice Italy, dried cod, or bacala, has remained a traditional part of its cuisine.

A Trattoria Recipe Right Out of Venice

Traditionally from Venice, Italy, cicchetti are small bites served with drinks (like an Italian tapas) usually found in a bàcaro. They cover a wide variety of appetizer/happy hour-esque foods, but one of the most recognizable are various dips and spreads and toppings served on pieces of bread or toast. A classic topping is this creamy cod spread, or baccalà mantecato, aka creamed bacala.

Before cooking with bacala, it needs to be soaked in water to help remove salt and soften it. For this baccala recipe, however, one can also easily (and more quickly) use fresh cod filets without the need to soak the fish for many hours or several days. With this switch, baccala mantecato becomes a simple yet delicious cod recipe easy to whip up for an appetizer.

As well, depending on several variables (quality of fish or cooking technique as steaming tends to produce less moist fish), you may find your spread to be watery or runny. If this is the case, add in some well-cooked potatoes. They will help soak up the extra liquid and add a little consistency to the spread, without taking too much flavor from the stars: your baccalà and olive oil. We recommend, as a bit of a pro-tip, to choose a good extra virgin olive oil for this recipe, to help the cod and flavors shine. Something like this organic EVOO from Febo in Abruzzo, Italy, is just the right amount of flavorful without overpowering the baccalà mantecato.

What we love about baccala mantecato is its ease. True, a dish like Baccalà alla Vicentina, or an oven baked cod also from the Veneto region of Italy, is delicious and belly warming, but it requires more serious preparations. Especially using fresh (or, we won’t tell, even frozen) cod, this appetizer can be pulled together quickly and is unique and tasty.

… and the wine to go with it.

Sparkling wines are a natural choice to pair with any cicchetti, especially these topped with baccalà mantecato. Cicchetti can often be quite greasy or even creamy, like with salame, aged cheeses, or toppings like this cod recipe, and the sparkling effervescence and acidity will help to wash away and clean your palate. That is why wines like Prosecco (from the Veneto region not far from Venice, Italy) were born and developed in this area. Another less well known wine from the area is the grape known as durella, which can be used to make classic or champagne method sparkling wines, known as Durello (learn more about this interesting grape in our article ‘Discover the Volcanic Mountain Sparkling Wines of Durello’).

Durello wines are the passion behind Veneto winery Sandro de Bruno, and in one of our virtual wine tastings we talked with winemaker Sandro Tasoniero about his two wines. Of course, we asked what, when pairing wine and food, he recommended to enjoy with his unique volcanic soil sparkling wines. Almost immediately, he said ‘baccalà mantecato’ was delicious when paired with the Durello wines. Crafted in two versions, these wines are made in the traditional champagne method. What main difference between the wines is the amount of time they are allowed to age on the lees, one ages for 36 months, and the other 60 months. You can also read more in depth about the winemaking processes behind these two wines in the aforementioned article about Durello. Both wines exhibit a fine and pleasantly persistent perlage in the glass, and while in the 36 month Durello one finds citrusy and exotic notes are balanced with a nice acidity, in the 60 month version we see more mature exotic fruit notes that turn into a creamy minerality.

It is not surprising that one might consider these Durello wines as a nice pairing with baccalà. As Sandro once recounted in his winery, the durella grape has a long history with baccalà and baccalà based dishes.. Back when Venice was one of the economic powerhouses in Europe, it was an important trading hub. It was common for North European countries to come to the Venetian lagoon and islands to trade their wares, such as baccalà (they would preserve withs salt their cod to make this long journey, hence how baccala was born). In those times, as Sandro told us, the durella grape was much more commonly planted than it is today and the wine made from it was prized by these Norwegian and other Northern traders, who would trade their baccalà for the durello wine, both in its still form and as an Italian sparkling wine.

Time to Taste

Now it’s your turn: Ready to try pairing foods like this Venetian cicchetti made with baccalà mantecato with some Italian sparkling wines? Get the full recipe and preparation below for this easy cod recipe, and buy Sandro de Bruno’s Durello wines, in 36 month and 60 month versions. Let us know which of the two is your favorite paired with the dish!

Cicchetti con Baccalà Mantecato - Creamy Cod Spread

Cooking and Prep Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound Fresh or Salted Cod
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
(Optional: 1-2 Well Boiled Potatoes)

To Serve:
Baguette or Toasted Bread Slices
Capers
Olives

Suggested Wine Pairings:
Sandro de Bruno | Lessini Durello 36 Months | Champagne Method Sparkling Wine

Sandro de Bruno | Lessini Durello 60 Months | Vintage Riserva Champagne Method Sparkling Wine

Procedure:
1. If starting with fresh cod, skip head to step two. If beginning with salted cod, soak the cod in cool water in fridge for minimum 24 hours, or until soft to touch. Change the water at least twice. Just before cooking, remove from the water and rinse gently under cool water.  Cook the fish in one of two methods a) boiling or b) steaming.

2a. Boiling: Remove any pin bones and skin, and cut the filet into large pieces just right to fit into your pot. Place your cod in a pot, cover with water and bring to a light simmer.  Once simmering, let cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes. Occasionally, skim away with a slotted spoon any white foam that forms on the top of the water. When the cod is beginning to fall apart and fork tender, gently remove the fish from the water with a slotted spoon or strainer. When cool enough to touch, gently feel for any missed pin bones to remove.

2b. Steaming: Remove pin bones. Place the cod filets skin on in the steamer basket and let the fish steam for approximately 25-30 minutes.  When easily pulled apart by a fork, remove from the steamer. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any missed pin bones.

3. After removing the cod, leave it to drain well, or gently pat with paper towels to remove any pooling water.

4. In a food processor or with a mixer, begin to whip the cod pieces.  If desired, you can add your potatoes, smashed with a fork at this time.  As the cod (and optional potatoes) are whipped, slowly drizzle in some olive oil until the mixture begins to take on a creamy consistency.  When creamy, add salt and pepper to taste (beware of salt usage, especially if using salted cod).

5. This dish can be served warm or cold. If desired cold, let chill in the fridge for a little while. To serve, spread on baguette slices, or any other desired toast slices and garnish with capers, olives, or an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Try Venetian Cicchetti, Baccala Mantecato, and Sparkling Wine