Stocco alla cittanovese
Cittanova stockfish braised with tomato, potatoes, and olives
Cittanova lies inland from the Tyrrhenian coast, yet stockfish is one of its defining foods. The fish arrives dried from northern waters and is transformed locally by a long soak, traditionally in the soft waters that run down from the Aspromonte. In Calabria it is simply stocco: a pantry fish made tender enough for a slow, generous pot.
Stocco alla cittanovese is cooked alla ghiotta, in a sauce with tomato, potatoes, and olives. Onion and parsley perfume fresh tomatoes; potatoes cook in the sauce; olives bring a dark, briny flavor. The fish is added after the potatoes have begun to soften, so it stays in large, delicate flakes instead of dissolving into the tomato.
Ingredients
For the stocco
- 600 g(about 1⅓ lb)soaked, boneless stockfish (stoccafisso or stocco), in large pieces (see note)
- 60 ml(4 tbsp)extra-virgin olive oil
- 120 g (about 1 medium)yellow or mild red onion, finely chopped
- 15 g(about ¼ cup)flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 500 gripe tomatoes, roughly chopped, with their juices
- 500 g(about 1 lb)waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm (about 1¼-inch) chunks
- 80 gblack olives in brine, pitted
- fine salt
Kitchen notes
- Stockfish, not salt cod
- Stocco is stoccafisso: cod preserved by air-drying without salt, then soaked until tender. It is not baccalà, which is salt-cured cod. Do not substitute salt cod; its salt level and texture make a different dish. Ask for ready-soaked stockfish at a specialty Italian or seafood market, or follow the producer's soaking directions for dried stockfish before cooking.
- Olives
- Use brined black olives, pitted before cooking. Their mild bitterness and salt are enough to season the tomato sauce, so taste before adding more salt.
Method
Lay the base
- Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot or deep skillet over low heat. Add the onion and parsley with a small pinch of salt. Cook gently until the onion is soft and sweet, about 8 minutes, without browning.
Cook the potatoes in tomato
- Add the tomatoes and their juices, then the potatoes. Bring to a quiet simmer, cover loosely, and cook for 12–15 minutes, turning the potatoes gently once or twice. The tomato should be loose and the potatoes should be starting to soften but still firm in the center; add a splash of hot water if the pan threatens to dry out.
Braise the stockfish
- Lay the stockfish pieces among the potatoes and scatter the olives over the top. Cover and simmer gently until the fish is hot and tender and the potatoes are fully cooked, about 15–20 minutes. Do not stir with a spoon once the fish is in the pan; hold the handles and shake the pot gently now and then so the pieces stay whole. Taste the sauce only at the end, then add salt if it needs it.
Settle and serve
- Rest the covered pot off the heat for 5 minutes. Spoon the stockfish, potatoes, and tomato sauce into warm shallow bowls, keeping the fish in large flakes. Serve hot with bread to collect the sauce.