Stoccafisso alla Messinese Recipe (Sicilian Stockfish Stew)

Name: Stoccafisso alla Messinese with Potatoes, Olives and Capers
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 800 g pre-soaked stockfish (stoccafisso ammollato) (drained, bones removed, cut into 6 cm / 2.5-inch pieces, skin on); 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ((60 ml)); 1 yellow onion (large (200 g); thinly sliced); 2 celery stalks ((100 g); finely diced); 2 garlic cloves (sliced); 2 tbsp pine nuts ((20 g)); 120 ml dry white wine; 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes (crushed by hand with their juice); 100 g pitted green olives (Castelvetrano or Nocellara); 2 tbsp salt-packed capers ((30 g); rinsed under cold water); 2 tbsp raisins ((20 g)); 600 g waxy potatoes (peeled, cut into 3 cm / 1.25-inch chunks); 250 ml hot water; 1/2 tsp fine salt (divided, plus more to taste); 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground); 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (chopped)

Jump to Recipe

Stoccafisso alla messinese is a Sicilian stew of soaked, air-dried cod simmered with tomato, potatoes, green olives and capers until the fish flakes and the sauce turns glossy. It takes about 90 minutes, most of it hands-off.

The Messina version is salty and slightly sweet at once. Celery, raisins and pine nuts soften the brine from the olives and capers, and the potatoes soak up the sauce.

Buy stockfish that’s already soaked, sold as stoccafisso ammollato. If you start from dried, soak it in cold water for 2 to 3 days first. That time isn’t counted here.

Keep the pot at a bare simmer. A hard boil turns the fish stringy and breaks the potatoes apart, and extra time won’t fix it.

I often cook it the day before. The flavor settles overnight and it reheats without losing texture.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

One pot, with most of the 90 minutes hands-off
Potatoes cook in the sauce and absorb its flavor
Tastes better on day two, so it suits make-ahead dinners
Dairy free and gluten free without any substitutions

Ingredient Notes

pre-soaked stockfish (stoccafisso ammollato): Look for it at Italian markets or a good fishmonger, sold in pieces with some bones. If you buy dried, soak it in cold water for 2 to 3 days, changing the water twice a day.
green olives: Castelvetrano or Nocellara are mild and buttery. Use pitted ones so nobody bites a stone, and skip any marinated in vinegar or herbs.
salt-packed capers: Rinse them under cold water for 2 minutes. Brined capers work too, but rinse them well and hold back on added salt.
waxy potatoes: Yukon Gold or similar yellow potatoes keep their shape through 40 minutes of simmering. Floury russets break down and cloud the sauce.
raisins and pine nuts: They’re traditional in Messina and give the sauce its sweet edge. Omit both if you prefer a sharper sauce.

Overhead view of stockfish pieces, potato chunks, green olives and capers in tomato sauce, finished with parsley

Stoccafisso alla Messinese with Potatoes, Olives and Capers

Soaked stockfish, waxy potatoes, green olives and capers cook together in a tomato and celery sauce for a Messina-style Sicilian main. It serves four and keeps well for a few days.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 30

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Sicilian

Calories: 208

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

800 g pre-soaked stockfish (stoccafisso ammollato) drained, bones removed, cut into 6 cm / 2.5-inch pieces, skin on
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (60 ml)
1 yellow onion large (200 g); thinly sliced
2 celery stalks (100 g); finely diced
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 tbsp pine nuts (20 g)
120 ml dry white wine
400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand with their juice
100 g pitted green olives Castelvetrano or Nocellara
2 tbsp salt-packed capers (30 g); rinsed under cold water
2 tbsp raisins (20 g)
600 g waxy potatoes peeled, cut into 3 cm / 1.25-inch chunks
250 ml hot water
1/2 tsp fine salt divided, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped

Method

Drain the soaked stockfish and pat it dry. Pull out any loose bones and cut it into 6 cm / 2.5-inch pieces, keeping the skin on. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3 cm / 1.25-inch chunks, then rinse the capers under cold water for 2 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a 28 cm / 11-inch Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and pale gold. This is your soffritto. Stir in the garlic and pine nuts for 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour in the wine and boil for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, olives, capers and raisins, then simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to leave a trail when you drag a spoon through it.
Nestle the stockfish into the sauce and tuck the potatoes around it. Add the hot water so the liquid comes just below the top of the potatoes. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 40 minutes. Keep the bubbles lazy, because a hard boil makes the fish stringy and breaks the potatoes. Shake the pot gently once or twice instead of stirring.
Take off the lid and cook for 9 minutes more, until the sauce is glossy and clings to the fish and a fork flakes a piece with light pressure. Taste, add the remaining salt and the pepper, then scatter with parsley and serve hot.

Notes

Taste the capers and olives before salting, since both bring a lot of brine.
Cut stockfish into 6 cm pieces so they cook evenly and are easy to serve.
Keep the simmer barely moving and the lid on for the first 40 minutes.
Pull out any bones that loosen while serving, since stockfish pieces often keep a few.

Wooden spoon sliding raw stockfish pieces into simmering tomato, onion and celery sauce in a Dutch oven

Tips for Success

Buy stoccafisso ammollato to skip the soak, or soak dried pieces in cold water for 2 to 3 days with twice-daily water changes.
Rinse salt-packed capers under cold water for 2 minutes, then taste one so you know how much salt the sauce still needs.
Cut the potatoes into 3 cm / 1.25-inch chunks so they turn tender at the same time as the fish.
Shake the pot gently instead of stirring once the fish goes in, so the pieces stay whole and the potatoes keep their edges.
Take the lid off for the final 9 minutes so the sauce reduces until it clings to the fish and potatoes.

Variations

Add a pinch of chili flakes with the garlic for a gentle heat that balances the sweetness of the raisins.
Use desalted salt cod, soaked 24 to 48 hours in cold water with several changes, and cut the covered simmer to 25 minutes.
Leave out the raisins and pine nuts for a sharper, more savory sauce that leans on the olives and capers.

Storage and Reheating

Stoccafisso alla messinese keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. The flavor settles after the first night, so day two is often better than day one.

Reheat it covered in a pan over low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water for 8 to 10 minutes, until it’s steaming hot at 165 F / 74 C throughout. Move the pieces gently instead of stirring.

Don’t freeze it. The potatoes turn grainy after thawing, and the dish keeps well enough in the fridge that you don’t need to.

Serving Suggestions

Serve stoccafisso alla messinese hot in shallow bowls with a spoonful of sauce over each portion and chopped parsley on top. Put crusty bread on the table for the sauce. A drizzle of good olive oil right before serving sharpens the tomato.

A bitter salad of escarole or chicory dressed with lemon and oil cuts through the richness. You don’t need another starch, since the potatoes already cover it.

For wine, pour a dry Sicilian white such as Grillo or Etna Bianco. Its acidity handles the salty olives and capers well.

Two shallow bowls of stockfish stew beside sliced crusty bread, a glass of white wine and a linen napkin

FAQ

Why is my stoccafisso tough and stringy after cooking?

Stoccafisso turns tough and stringy when the pot boils hard instead of barely bubbling. Keep the heat low enough that only a few lazy bubbles break the surface, and cook covered for 40 minutes. The fish is ready when a fork flakes it with light pressure and a knife slips easily through the potatoes.

Can I use black olives instead of green in stoccafisso alla messinese?

Yes, black olives like Gaeta or oil-cured work, but they taste deeper and slightly bitter next to green Castelvetrano or Nocellara. Add them for the last 15 minutes instead of at the start so they don’t turn muddy. Hold back on salt until you taste the finished sauce.

How long does stoccafisso alla messinese keep in the fridge?

Stoccafisso alla messinese keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, and it tastes better on day two once the tomato, olives and capers have soaked into the fish. Reheat it covered over low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Don’t freeze it, since the potatoes turn grainy.

What goes well with stoccafisso alla messinese?

Crusty bread for the sauce and a bitter green salad such as escarole or chicory with lemon go well with it. For wine, a dry Sicilian white like Grillo or Etna Bianco handles the salty olives and capers. Skip heavy sides, because the potatoes already provide the starch.

What is the difference between stoccafisso and baccalà?

Stoccafisso is cod dried in cold air without salt, while baccalà is cod preserved in salt. Both need soaking, but stoccafisso takes 2 to 3 days and keeps a firmer, meatier bite. Messina’s classic dish uses stoccafisso, and baccalà is the usual choice in Naples and Rome.

Is stoccafisso alla messinese gluten free?

Yes, stoccafisso alla messinese is naturally gluten free, since the fish, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, capers and wine contain no wheat. It’s dairy free too. Skip the bread or use gluten-free bread to mop up the sauce. Check the labels on canned tomatoes and jarred capers if you’re cooking for someone with celiac disease.