Baccala - salt cod sold by the slab.

[Kitchen Witch]

Baccala - salt cod sold by the slab.

Cheap and keeps well and has many recipes for this fabulous food.

Well cooked baccala is a real delight - firm but slightly chewy with no fishy flavor. A good high-quality baccala is made from cod that are 3 to 6 feet long, which are split and salted for about 10 days, then partially dried.

Since it is salted, all baccalà requires soaking before it can be used. Salted baccalà comes 1/2 to 1-inch thick, in 3 to 6-inch wide slats that are 12 to 18 inches long, and are white on the flesh side. The flesh should be pliable, compact, and not feel woody; you should try to select a piece of uniform thickness so it will soak evenly. To prepare it, rinse the salt off it and soak it in cold water for 12 or more hours, depending upon its thickness (refrigerate it in hot weather), changing the water 2-3 times daily. Once it has soaked skin it, pick out the bones, and it's ready for use.