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These traditional Italian fritters use salt cod as the star ingredient and couple it with a thick, leavened batter that is usually seasoned with parsley. When soaked in water or milk, the fish is either flaked and incorporated into the batter or cut into pieces that are later merely dipped in the mixture.
Both versions are fried until golden and crispy and can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a light main course. The dish is usually associated with Liguria region and is traditionally enjoyed on Christmas Eve.
MOST ICONIC Frittelle di baccalà
Panissa is a traditional dish originating from Liguria. Although there is a dish with the same name in Piedmont, where it's a risotto with beans, the Ligurian panissa is a fried appetizer made with chickpea flour, water, salt, and oil for frying.
A combination of chickpea flour, water, and salt is whisked, then poured into a rectangular pan and cooked until thick. The mixture is left to cool, and the blocks of the mixture are then fried in hot oil until golden brown. Once drained, panissa is sprinkled with salt and served immediately.
It's recommended to serve this appetizer with a glass of sparkling wine.
Brandacujùn is a traditional dish originating from western parts of Liguria. It's made with a combination of stockfish (usually dried cod), potatoes, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, and seasonings such as salt and black pepper. The combination is mashed and mixed until smooth and creamy.
Brandacujùn is typically served as an appetizer and enjoyed smeared on crusty bread that's been rubbed with garlic.
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Frisceu is a traditional Ligurian appetizer or a snack made with flour, fizzy water, salt, yeast, and olive oil. The batter should be fairly firm, and once prepared, it is fried in boiling oil until the fritters rise to the surface and puff up.
Before eating, they are often sprinkled with salt and served hot. These fritters are also called cuculli and can be additionally enriched with ingredients such as whitebait, dried cod, shallots, or oregano.
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Alici a scapece is a traditional appetizer originating from Liguria. It consists of fried and marinated anchovies. The ingredients usually include anchovies, garlic, bay leaves, white wine vinegar, flour, olive oil, and salt. The anchovies are rinsed, dried, and coated with flour, then fried in oil and drained.
The vinegar, water, garlic, olive oil, bay leaves, and red chili flakes are brought to a boil, and the marinade is then poured over the anchovies, which are left to marinate for 24 hours. Alici a scapece are then ready to be enjoyed, traditionally at room temperature.
Lisogni is a traditional appetizer originating from Liguria, and it's a specialty of Bormida. These fried dumplings are usually made with a combination of potatoes, flour, milk, garlic, olive oil, and salt. The potatoes are peeled, boiled, passed through a food mill, and kneaded with the milk, flour, and salt.
The firm dough is shaped into long loaves that are cut into many smaller pieces and flattened by hand. They're baked on both sides until golden and arranged on a platter while piping hot. The dumplings are covered with a heated mixture of olive oil and garlic, and lisogni are ready to be enjoyed.
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Bianchetti al limone is a traditional fish dish originating from Liguria. Although there are some variations, it's usually made with a combination of whitebait, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped parsley, and salt. The fresh whitebait is cleaned, dried, and arranged on a platter.
The fish is sprinkled with salt and chopped parsley, and then drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. The dish is marinated for two hours (during which it cooks in citric acid) and it's served with lemon wedges on the side. Bianchetti al limone can be served cold or well-chilled.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Sgombri con le cipolle is a traditional dish originating from eastern Liguria. It's usually made with a combination of mackerel fillets, sliced onions, white wine and white wine vinegar, thyme, bay leaves, juniper berries, salt, and pepper. The fish is layered in an ovenproof dish with the sliced onions, wine, vinegar, salt, pepper, and juniper berries.
The dish is baked, then left to cool and chilled for a day. A few hours before serving, sgombri con le cipolle is taken out of the fridge and brought back to room temperature before it's enjoyed.
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