If it weren’t for dried cod, the Vikings couldn’t have survived expeditions to barren lands.
Sixteenth-century Basque fisherman, who prolonged the desiccated fish’s shelf life with salt, might not have cemented international trade relationships around the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean, supplying it to nations of devout Catholics for holy fasting days.
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And the world would never know such pleasures as brandade, ackee and saltfish, and baccalà mantecato.
The latter is Venice’s quintessential cicchetto (“cheek-KEHT-toh”), a tapa-like snack made of salt cod that’s whipped with olive oil and garlic to mousseline texture and then either spread on slabs of toasted polenta or baguette or scooped up as a dip.
It’s rich yet light, enjoyed at wine bars and especially at Christmas Eve celebrations throughout the canal city with crisp white wine and good company.
If you’ve never worked with salt cod, you’d never suspect that the stiff, leathery, incredibly lean fish could transform into something so lush and creamy and packed with flavor.
Sourcing Salt Cod
Salt cod can be purchased in Portuguese, Italian, and Caribbean markets and some supermarkets. Because the dried fish is shelf-stable, it’s also easy to find online (we recommend we recommend Portugalia Marketplace and Frank and Sal). For our baccalà mantecato recipe, the skinless, boneless fillets (often labeled “boned”) typically sold in 1-pound wooden boxes or sealed in plastic pouches are the easiest to work with.
It starts with a good, long soak, which rehydrates the cod and purges it of excess salt, followed by more softening in poaching liquid.
Traditionalists might use water scented with lemon or bay leaves, but modern cooks (myself included) often poach in milk for the extra richness and sweetness it brings when some of it is later incorporated into the spread.
Then comes the mantecare, the process of whipping ingredients into a creamy emulsion, by hand or by machine.
The idea here is to vigorously mix the cod, garlic, and lots of olive oil with some of the poaching liquid until everything holds together in a cloud-like suspension.
I use a food processor, pulsing the cod into fine pieces and then streaming in the oil followed by some of the reserved cooking liquid.
And similar to other salt cod spreads, I also include a potato (poached with the fish) for velvety body.
You could eat the spread as is, but broiling it for a few minutes warms it through so it’s extra-creamy and attractively browns the top.
Then just finish it with more olive oil and dig in.
Warm Whipped Salt Cod Spread (Baccalà Mantecato)
Warm, savory, salty, garlicky—everything you want to kick off your holiday feast.
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