Whipped Cod 'Barchette'

17/11/2023

Here is the recipe for the Italian-style whipped cod ‘barchette’, an elegant and tasty appetizer that blends the Venetian tradition of whipped cod with a creative presentation.

Ingredients

300 grams of cod that has been pre-soaked
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Chopped parsley to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Milk to taste (if necessary for whipping)
2-3 medium-sized potatoes
Pitted black olives (optional for decoration)

Preparation

Start by placing the cod in a saucepan, cover it with cold water, and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until it becomes soft. It’s important not to overboil it to avoid hardening.
In the meantime, wash the potatoes and boil them in plenty of salted water until they become tender. Drain them, let them cool slightly, and then cut them in half lengthwise.
Gently scoop out the insides of the potato halves with a teaspoon to create a sort of “boat”, leaving an edge of about 5 mm. Keep the scooped-out pulp for another use, or you can add some of it to the cod during the whipping process, if you like.
When the cod is cooked, drain it, remove the skin and bones, and start working it with a hand whisk or an electric mixer, gradually adding the extra virgin olive oil, as if you were making mayonnaise.
Continue until the cod has absorbed all the oil and has reached a creamy and frothy consistency. If it becomes too thick, you can add a little milk to soften the mixture.
Season with salt and pepper and, if you like, add some crushed garlic and chopped parsley to further enhance the flavor.
Fill the potato ‘barchette’ with the whipped cod and garnish with chopped parsley and, if you wish, a black olive.

Curiosity

Whipped cod is a traditional dish of Venetian cuisine. The word “mantecare” in the kitchen generally means to blend an ingredient (such as risotto or polenta) with a fat (like butter or oil) until a creamy consistency is obtained. In the case of cod, the oil added in a thin stream during processing makes it soft and frothy. This dish dates back many centuries, when cod began to be imported into the Venetian ports.