Stoccafisso alla Messinese
Soaked stockfish with potatoes, olives and capers
Messinese stocco alla ghiotta: rehydrated stockfish simmered with potatoes, celery, tomato, olives and capers.
Plus 5 min for resting after cooking; included in the total time below.
Messina, Sicily
The regional version.
Messina’s stockfish-and-potato ghiotta using fully rehydrated stocco.
- Stockfish is air-dried cod that has been rehydrated, not fresh cod.
- Potatoes cook together with the stockfish in the ghiotta.
- Celery, olives and capers season the tomato base.
Technique: soaked stockfish with potatoes, olives and capers
The timing starts with ready-to-cook soaked stockfish. Dried stockfish needs specialist soaking over several days; buy it prepared rather than treating salt cod as interchangeable.
Ingredient notes & swaps
- Salt cod is a different cured product; if used, describe and prepare it as a baccalà variation rather than stockfish.
The recipe
Stoccafisso alla Messinese
Includes 5 min for resting after cooking.
Ingredients
Main
Method
- 1
Use stockfish already fully rehydrated by a fishmonger. Examine carefully for bones and cut into large pieces.
- 2
Cook chopped tomatoes briefly until they release their juices, then pass through a sieve or food mill.
- 3
Soften onion in oil, then add celery and the prepared tomato. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 4
Nestle stockfish, potatoes, olives, capers and chilli into the sauce. Add enough water to keep the base from drying.
- 5
Cover and simmer very gently for about 40–50 minutes until potatoes are tender and fish separates into flakes.
- 6
Swirl the pot instead of stirring through the fish. Taste for salt and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
The version on this page
Messina’s stockfish-and-potato ghiotta using fully rehydrated stocco.
- Stockfish is air-dried cod that has been rehydrated, not fresh cod.
- Potatoes cook together with the stockfish in the ghiotta.
- Celery, olives and capers season the tomato base.
Cooking it well
The timing starts with ready-to-cook soaked stockfish. Dried stockfish needs specialist soaking over several days; buy it prepared rather than treating salt cod as interchangeable.
Serving and planning
Serve in shallow bowls with bread. Remove any remaining bones while portioning.
Allow 5 additional minutes for resting after cooking. This is included in the total recipe time, alongside active preparation and cooking.
Ingredient alternatives
Salt cod is a different cured product; if used, describe and prepare it as a baccalà variation rather than stockfish.
Explore the Sicilian cooking guide for related dishes and pantry notes.
Storage
Refrigerate cooked fish promptly in a covered container and use within 2 days.
Freezing
For best texture, prepare the fish freshly. Freeze any cooked sauce separately for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheating
Reheat only the portion required until piping hot throughout. Add a little water if the sauce has thickened.
Keep cooking
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