Baccala Mantecato Crostini

I did have a picture of me smiling with my crostini di baccalà mantecato, but the excitement caused my hands to shake, my feet to bounce, and the photo thus blurred.

My obsession began fairly recently at the London 2019 Bellavita & Ibérica Awards. My exhibition companion was already firmly fixated. In a frenzied state, he said I absolutely MUST try the whipped salt-cod.

With stall after stall adorned with prosciutto, guanciale, capocollo, I admit that a little jar of white mush failed to rouse me. But (it happens far too often than I care to confess) more fool me. Baccalà became my go-to breakfast buddy.

When recreating it, I cheated hugely, and made a VERY unauthentic version. No, it doesn’t beat the real thing, but, when you don’t have easy access to salt cod, then this is a quick, tasty, and I’d say justified, alternative.

🐟 Makes 4 crostini

• a pack of frozen white fish fillets (I used 3)

• mayonnaise

• extra-virgin olive oil

• salt

• pepper

• thyme

1. Preheat your oven to what it says on white fish fillets packet - mine said 180'C (fan).

2. Nestle your white fish fillets in foil, and cook for around 20 minutes.

3. Once cooked, leave to cool.

4. Break them up into a bowl, and get ready to mash.

5. Generously squeeze your mayonnaise, add a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of thyme, and mash away to your heart's content.

6. Toast your crostini, give them that little rub of raw garlic, and pile on your Baccalà Mantecato.

7. Proudly accept that it's not authentic, and pop it into your mouth.