
Morzello of Stockfish
Morzello di Stoccafisso
Calabrian Morzello of stockfish with tomato, slightly soupy and to be enjoyed with pitta bread.
The morzello of stockfish It's a hearty and flavorful Calabrian dish, designed to showcase the fish flesh in a smooth tomato sauce. The result isn't a dry sauce: the liquid is essential because it must soak into the pitta, the circular bread with which the dish is served and enjoyed in bites. stockfish offers a fibrous and delicate consistency, while chili pepper, oregano, and white wine define a clean aromatic profile, with a pleasant spicy note. The prolonged cooking over very low heat allows the passata to blend with the fish and the oil to bind the sauce, keeping it soft and slightly soupy. The morzello di stockfish It belongs to the traditional cuisine of Calabria.
Instructions
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8 steps · natural Italian voice
Boil it stockfish
5 minBring to a boil a pot of water and boiled it stockfish Soak for about five minutes. Drain when the pulp is softened but still firm, avoiding overcooking to avoid drying it out.
Clean and crumble
Let it cool down stockfish Just enough to handle, then remove the skin and all the bones. Crumble the pulp with your hands into small, irregular pieces that will easily blend into the sauce without becoming creamy.
Gently sauté the fish
Pour plenty of olive oil into a tall-sided pan and add the stockfish crumbled. Do it gently sauté over medium heat, stirring gently, until the pulp heats up and the base becomes fragrant, without letting it brown excessively.
Deglaze with wine
Pour the white wine on the stockfish Heat the heat and let it evaporate completely. Wait until the alcohol smell has dissipated and a cleaner, more aromatic scent remains in the base before proceeding with the tomato sauce.
Add tomato and herbs
Join the tomato passata, The chili pepper and a sprig of oregano. Stir to combine the ingredients and bring the sauce to a gentle boil; the tomato should coat the fish evenly without drying out.
Cook slowly
50 minLower the heat Reduce heat to low and cook for about fifty minutes, maintaining a gentle, even simmer. Stir occasionally and check the consistency: the morzello should remain slightly soupy; if it reduces too much, add a little water during cooking.
Rule and complete
When almost cooked, taste and season with salt to taste only if necessary. Remove the sprig of oregano and check that the sauce is fluid, fragrant and well mixed, with the fragments of stockfish still recognizable.
Serve with pitta
Open the pita bread like a book and arrange a piece on each plate. Pour the still-warm morzello over the bread, allowing the sauce to soak into the bread; fold the pita bread over the bread and serve immediately, so it retains its texture.
Chef's Tips
Keep the morzello slightly soupy during cooking, adding a little water if the sauce thickens too much, so the bread can absorb the sauce well.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for 4 people
- (28.22 oz) 800 g of stockfish (air-dried cod) already soaked
- (17.64 oz) 500 g of tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
- olive oil, white wine, oregano
- chili pepper spicy
Can't find it in the US?
- stockfish (air-dried cod)International markets
Sold in West African and Scandinavian markets
Or: Salt cod, soaked 24 to 48 hours
Salt cod is softer and cooks faster.
- tomato passataMost US supermarkets
Sold as passata or strained tomatoes
Or: Canned whole peeled tomatoes, blended and strained
Not seasoned tomato sauce and not tomato paste.
⚠️ Automatic ingredient-based detection. Always check product labels.









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