Bakalar na Bijelo

The story

Bakalar na bijelo — dried cod cooked with potatoes, olive oil, and garlic — is a Dalmatian Christmas Eve dish that owes its origins to centuries of trade in salt and dried fish along the Adriatic. Dried cod, a fish that never swam in the Adriatic Sea, reached Dalmatian ports by the trade routes linking the Republic of Venice with the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic, and in time it became more available and more practical to keep than fresh fish in the days before refrigeration. In Dalmatia this is traditionally unsalted, air-dried cod (stockfish), soaked for days to soften; in America salt cod is easier to find, so this recipe uses it. The preparation is simple: the cod is first soaked for a day or two to release its salt, then poached, and finally worked together with boiled potatoes, olive oil, and garlic into an almost creamy, slightly stringy mixture. It shares that same “dried or salted fish for Christmas Eve” logic with Portugal and Italy, each country with its own version. For Croatian families in America, bakalar na bijelo is often one of the dishes that most surprises guests — plain to look at, but rich in umami depth.