Stockfish cooked as for Ancona recipe, gastronomic symbol in honour of Norwegian Lofoten Islands

In a town that makes the sea one of its most important communication symbols, everything can miss but the taste of the famous “stoccafisso all’anconitana” (stockfish cooked as for Ancona recipe).
The Stoccafisso all’anconitana is surely one of Ancona typical dishes if not even its gastronomic symbol. It is so important that it has been founded an Academy of stoccafisso all’anconitana in order to protect its tradition; and it is for that reason that every year a skill competition is organized which several restaurants of the town participate to.

History of stockfish tells that ships from Ancona carried until Hanseatic towns and not infrequently they sailed Norwegian fiords up.
In order to save return trips not filled with cargo, they imported huge quantities of stockfish, moreover from Norwegian Lofoten Islands. The quality used to prepare this dish is the one named “ragno” (“spider”), that is considered the best one.
It is characterized by a very long cooking time, by the presence of large sized potatoes slices and by abundance of wine and olive oil (by oil mill).
In its version called “all’imbriagona” (drunk-like) there is a considerable quantity of wine.
Its sauce is also used to season pasta and polenta.

Stoccafisso all’Anconetana (Original Recipe)

For 4 people

Ingredients:
1 kg. of first quality stockfish already wet (preferably Ragno brand)
5 washed and salt scraped off anchovies
2 green celery ribs
1 medium size onion
3 carrots
3 rosemary twigs
50 gr of salt scraped off capers
1/3 litre of white wine Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
1 hot pepper (optional)
100gr of black olives
1 kg. of ripe tomatoes in bunches
1 kg. of potatoes
1/2 litre of extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Stockfish Cooking Procedure:

Cleaning stockfish by removing its central bone, cutting it up and arranging them into a large roasting pan.
Grinding celery, carrot, onion, capers, anchovies and rosemary; with the half of this chopped ingredients seasoning stockfish previously arranged in the roasting pan, adding salt to taste and about half a litre of extra virgin olive oil.
Cutting medium sized slices of potatoes up and arranging them on the layer of stockfish until covering it up completely.
Seasoning it all with the remaining half of chopped ingredients, few hot pepper (optional), salt, sliced tomatoes here and there, Verdicchio white wine, and covering all with cold water adding black olives.
Leaving it at low flame for about 30 mins and 1h and 30 mins in the oven at 130° / 140° C.
Turning the flame off and leaving it slowly cooling down.
We advise you to eat this typical simply dish 12 hours after its cooking.
The classic recipe formerly provided with putting bamboo reeds between the roasting pan bottom and the stockfish.

Stockfish sauce preparing:

Ingredients:
1/2 Kg. of stockfish scarps
Hand chopped spices:
1 medium seized celery rib
1 Carrot
1/2 Medium Sized Onion
2 garlic cloves
20 gr. in oil anchovies
10 gr. of salt scraped off capers
2 rosemary twig
Other Ingredients:
1/4 litre of white wine Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
1/4 litre of extra virgin olive oil
3 sliced ripe tomatoes
20 black olives about
Hot Pepper or Pepper (optional) to taste.
Stockfish Sauce Cooking Procedure:

Before using stockfish you need to put it to soak. Boiling all the mixture for 60-75 mins. In order to give to the sauce a bit of consistency, please add 1 thinly chopped medium sized potato while boiling; whilst dissolving, it will thicken the sauce.
We advise you “Paccheri di Gragnano” as pasta to eat with.
And enjoy it, of course!