Non-VegetarianLucana cuisine Main Course

Baccalà con Peperoni Cruschi

Name: Baccalà con Peperoni Cruschi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Lucana
Ingredients: 800 g soaked salt cod (baccalà); 600 g Potatoes; 10 pieces peperoni cruschi (dried sweet senise peppers); 100 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 2 cloves Garlic; 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 pinch Fine sea salt

Flaked poached salt cod served with tender boiled potatoes and crunchy, sweet peperoni cruschi fried in fragrant olive oil.

🇮🇹Italy· Basilicata

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 490 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

800 g soaked salt cod (baccalà) — desalted, skinned, and cut into large chunks
600 g Potatoes — waxy or all-purpose, peeled and cut into thick rounds
10 pieces peperoni cruschi (dried sweet senise peppers) — stemmed and deseeded, wiped clean with a dry cloth
100 ml Extra virgin olive oil — robust southern Italian oil
2 cloves Garlic — lightly crushed
15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley — finely chopped
1 pinch Fine sea salt — for potato boiling water

Equipment

•Large saucepan
•Wide frying pan
•Slotted spoon
•Kitchen paper
•Serving platter

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 490 kcal
fat: 22 g
carbs: 31 g
fibre: 4 g
protein: 42 g
calories: 490 kcal

Instructions

1
Place the potato slices into a large saucepan of lightly salted cold water.
2
Bring the water to a gentle boil and cook the potatoes for ten minutes until just tender.
3
Add the salt cod chunks to the same pan with the potatoes.
4
Simmer gently for eight to ten minutes until the fish flakes easily when pressed.
5
Warm the olive oil and crushed garlic cloves in a wide frying pan over medium heat.
6
Remove the garlic once pale golden to infuse the oil without burning.
7
Drop the cleaned dried peppers into the hot oil for three to five seconds.
8
Lift out the peppers immediately when they puff up and transfer them to kitchen paper.
9
Drain the cooked potatoes and salt cod thoroughly, then arrange them on a warm platter.
10
Scatter the crispy peppers over the fish and potatoes.
11
Drizzle the warm pepper-infused cooking oil generously over the entire dish.
12
Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve immediately while warm.

Chef's tips

Peperoni cruschi burn within seconds, so watch them constantly and remove them the instant they swell in hot oil. They become crisp only after cooling for a minute on paper. Do not salt the fish cooking water heavily, as desalted cod retains natural salinity.

Ingredient substitutions

peperoni cruschi (dried sweet Senise peppers) → mild dried Spanish ñora peppers or dried sweet paprika peppers
soaked salt cod (baccalà) → fresh thick cod fillets, though the traditional savoury density will be milder

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days, storing leftover peppers separately so they stay crisp.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a warm oven or covered pan with a splash of water and olive oil, adding the peppers just before serving.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Frying the dried peppers too long, which turns them black and unpleasantly bitter.
•Washing dried peppers in water before frying, which prevents them from crisping up.
•Boiling the cod at a rapid roll, which dries out the delicate flakes.