Bacalà alla Vicentina: The Original Recipe & Where to Eat It

FIND YOUR STORY

A · The Original Recipe ↓

B · The Ingredients ↓

C · The Wine ↓

D · Where to Eat Bacalà alla Vicentina ↓

E · The Dish ↓

F · FAQ ↓

A · The Original Recipe ↓

AUTHENTIC BACALÀ ALLA VICENTINA · SERVES 12

The traditional recipe published by the Venerabile Confraternita del Bacalà alla Vicentina, founded in Sandrigo, Vicenza.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg dried stockfish, preferably already beaten

• 250 to 300 g onions

• 500 ml extra virgin olive oil

• 3 salted sardines

• 500 ml fresh milk

• 50 g grated Grana cheese

• A small bunch of fresh parsley

• A little plain flour

• Salt and black pepper

• Yellow polenta, for serving

PREPARATION

01 · SOAK THE STOCKFISH
Soak the previously beaten stockfish in cold water for two to three days, changing the water every four hours. Keep refrigerated at approximately 2 to 4°C. Once rehydrated, open the fish lengthwise, remove the backbone and smaller bones, and cut into portions.

02 · PREPARE THE ONIONS
Finely slice the onions and cook gently in a small pan with approximately one glass of the measured olive oil. Add the cleaned, chopped salted sardines. Once softened, remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley.

03 · ARRANGE THE FISH
Lightly flour the stockfish. Spread some of the onion mixture in a terracotta or suitable cooking pan, arrange the fish portions closely together and cover with the remaining onions, milk, Grana cheese, salt, pepper and olive oil.

04 · COOK FOR FOUR AND A HALF HOURS
Cook over very gentle heat for approximately four and a half hours, depending on the fish. Never stir. Instead, occasionally move the whole pan in a gentle circular motion. This traditional Vicentine technique is called pipare.

05 · REST AND SERVE
The Confraternita recommends allowing the finished dish to rest for twelve to twenty four hours. Refrigerate during this period, then reheat thoroughly and serve with hot yellow polenta.

Official recipe, Venerabile Confraternita del Bacalà alla Vicentina

B · The Ingredients ↓

WHICH FISH SHOULD YOU BUY FOR BACALÀ ALLA VICENTINA?

The essential ingredient is stoccafisso, Atlantic cod preserved by air drying rather than salting. In Vicenza it is traditionally called bacalà, although elsewhere in Italy baccalà generally means salt preserved cod.

Choose good quality dried stockfish, preferably already beaten and ready for rehydration. The Norwegian Seafood Council recommends refrigerated soaking and notes that the fish can more than double its original weight as it absorbs water.

WHAT MAKES THE RECIPE DIFFERENT?

Three salted sardines give the onion base its savoury depth, while milk and generous quantities of olive oil produce the rich sauce. Grana cheese contributes additional flavour.

The traditional accompaniment is yellow polenta, particularly good when made with Mais Marano, the historic maize variety developed in Vicenza province.

Discover the story of Mais Marano.

C · The Wine ↓

WHAT WINE GOES WITH BACALÀ ALLA VICENTINA?

Three local wines are particularly worth exploring, as recommended by the Confraternita and Gambero Rosso International.

BREGANZE VESPAIOLO
A fresh white wine whose acidity balances the richness of the olive oil and fish.

TAI ROSSO · COLLI BERICI
A local red with gentle tannins and red fruit character, for a less expected pairing.

LESSINI DURELLO
Particularly appealing in sparkling versions, with lively acidity against the creamy sauce.

D · Where to Eat Bacalà alla Vicentina ↓

Six addresses in Vicenza and its province, selected for their cooking, atmosphere and independently documented gastronomic credentials.

IL CEPPO · VICENZA
For traditional bacalà in the historic centre, with several preparations to try, a gastronomia to shop in and a dining room surrounded by remains of Roman Vicenza. In 2026, Osvaldo Boscolo received the Collare da Nobile Cavaliere del Bacalà.
PALMERINO · SANDRIGO For a family devoted to cod since 1947. The Chemellos personally select stockfish in Norway, according to the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, and the MICHELIN Guide highlights their extensive repertoire of bacalà preparations.
Via Piave 13, Sandrigo · +39 0444 659034

OSTERIA MADONNETTA · MAROSTICA
For a family osteria dating to 1904, a garden beneath the wisteria and the maccafame cake praised alongside its bacalà by The Guardian. Awarded a Slow Food Chiocciola in Osterie d'Italia 2027 and listed in the MICHELIN Guide. Via Vajenti 21, Marostica · +39 0424 75859

TRATTORIA MOLIN VECIO · CALDOGNO For bacalà with Mais Marano polenta in a watermill dating to 1520, surrounded by gardens, old fruit varieties and more than one hundred herbs. Recommended by the MICHELIN Guide. Via Giaroni 116, Caldogno · +39 0444 585168

TRATTORIA DA ZAMBONI · LAPIO, ARCUGNANO For bacalà with polenta overlooking the Berici Hills and Lake Fimon, with local black truffles in season and an interesting wine selection. A family restaurant founded in 1969, listed in the MICHELIN Guide and awarded a Slow Food Chiocciola in 2027. Via Santa Croce 73, Lapio di Arcugnano · +39 0444 273079

REMO VILLA CARIOLATO · VICENZA
For bacalà alla Vicentina with Maranello polenta in a nineteenth century villa and historic park. The restaurant also serves whipped bacalà and has been managed by the Baratto family since 1976. Strada di Bertesina 313, Vicenza · +39 0444 911007

GET EAT BEYOND THE OBVIOUS, OUR FREE GUIDE TO 100+ FOOD ADDRESSES ACROSS VICENZA. : From Slow Food osterie and historic bakeries to mountain dairies, rare ingredients, wineries and restaurants worth travelling for.

E · The Dish ↓

WHAT MAKES BACALÀ ALLA VICENTINA SO SPECIAL?

Three days in water, four and a half hours over gentle heat and perhaps another night before dinner. The result is tender stockfish in a rich sauce of milk, olive oil, onions and salted sardines, served with golden polenta. In a 2003 report, The Washington Post examined Vicenza's extraordinary devotion to the dish, while National Geographic Traveller has identified bacalà and polenta among the defining foods of Veneto.

Vicenza even has a gastronomic brotherhood devoted to preserving its original recipe. And behind the ingredients lies a remarkable history involving Norwegian fishermen, a Venetian shipwreck, ceremonial knights and an island in the Lofoten archipelago named after an Italian town.

Discover the extraordinary story behind the dish in The Recipe of Patience.

F · FAQ ↓

What is bacalà alla Vicentina?
A traditional dish from Vicenza, northern Italy, made with dried cod slowly cooked in milk, olive oil, onions and salted sardines, usually served with yellow polenta.

Is bacalà alla Vicentina made with salted cod?
The traditional recipe uses stoccafisso, air dried Atlantic cod, rather than salted cod.

How long does bacalà alla Vicentina take to make?
Allow two to three days for soaking previously beaten stockfish, approximately four and a half hours for cooking and, optionally, another twelve to twenty four hours for resting.

Can you prepare bacalà alla Vicentina the day before?
Yes. The Confraternita recommends resting the finished dish for twelve to twenty four hours. Refrigerate it during that time and reheat thoroughly before serving.

What wine goes with bacalà alla Vicentina?
Breganze Vespaiolo, Tai Rosso from the Colli Berici and Lessini Durello are three regional choices recommended by the Confraternita.

Where can you eat authentic bacalà alla Vicentina in Italy?
Vicenza and its province have several recognised specialists, including Palmerino in Sandrigo, Osteria Madonnetta in Marostica and Il Ceppo in Vicenza city centre. The six addresses above offer different settings, from historic osterie to a Venetian villa.