Salt Cod Mantecato Recipe

Desalting the cod

Rinse the salted cod under cold running water to remove surface salt. Place the cod in a medium nonreactive bowl and cover with cold water. Refrigerate and soak for 24 hours, changing the water 3 times (every 6–8 hours). If pressed for time, soak for 8–12 hours and change water every 2–4 hours—longer soaking gives a milder result.

Poaching

Drain the soaked cod and place it in a saucepan. Pour in the whole milk to just cover the fish. Add the two garlic cloves (crushed slightly with the flat of a knife). Bring the milk to a very gentle simmer over medium-low heat—do not boil. Poach for 8–10 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and is opaque. Remove from heat and let cool in the milk for 10 minutes to infuse flavor.

Flaking and blending

Remove the cod from the milk (reserve the milk) and flake it into large pieces with a fork, removing any remaining skin or bones. Transfer the flakes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the softened butter. With the motor running, pulse to break up the fish, then stream in the 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil very slowly in a thin steady stream until the mixture becomes creamy, emulsified and smooth—this should take 3–5 minutes. If the mixture is too stiff, add 1–2 tablespoons of the reserved poaching milk to loosen, blending until incorporated.

Season and finish

Stop and taste. Add the lemon juice, ground black pepper and the finely chopped parsley. Add up to 1/4 teaspoon sea salt only if needed (often unnecessary because of residual salt in the cod). Pulse a few times to combine. For a silkier texture, continue blending an extra 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool to room temperature. The mantecato will thicken as it cools.

Prepare ingredients

If olives are very large, roughly chop them so the blender or food processor works uniformly. If using anchovies, rinse lightly if excessively salty; otherwise add straight.

Pulse to combine

Place the olives, capers, anchovy fillets (if using), garlic clove, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse 6–8 times until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the 45 ml olive oil to form a spreadable paste. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. You want a slightly coarse texture—do not overprocess into a purée.

Season and finish

Taste and adjust seasoning with black pepper and add the thyme or parsley. If the tapenade needs smoothing, add another teaspoon of olive oil and pulse once. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Assemble: Spread a generous tablespoon of the salt cod mantecato onto each crostino or slice of toasted bread. Spoon a small dollop (about 1 teaspoon) of the olive tapenade on top or to the side for contrast. Drizzle a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil over the mantecato and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

Serve at room temperature alongside additional lemon wedges and crackers if desired. Leftover mantecato will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature and whisk with a little olive oil before serving.