Due to its ease of conservation with salt, cod has been a widely used food in the kitchen for centuries, especially in those places far from the sea where fresh fish arrived with difficulty. In this rather peasant “Apulian” version, we will prepare the cod with vegetables to give it a nice boost of flavor, and we will use as a finishing touch some olives from Bari in brine.

Wash and clean the tomatoes, celery, onion and garlic. Chop everything into small pieces and brown in a saucepan with plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Let it dry for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then add 2 glasses of water and cover, lowering the heat. The smells need to cook until the celery becomes tender. If necessary, add more water but never excessively. Meanwhile, pits the olives in brine, leaving them whole, and cut the cod into pieces of about 3-4 inch per side.

Once the celery is cooked, you can proceed to lay the pieces of cod on the cooking juices, adding the pepper and the pitted olives. Always cook over low heat for about 5-10 minutes and then flip the pieces of cod to cook and season well on the other side. Try to act gently so as not to break the pieces of cod. After another 5-10 minutes of cooking, the cod is ready, and you can serve it with generous spoonfuls of the tasty sauce prepared.

In general, no salt is used during preparation, as the desalted cod is still very savory. However, if it has been soaked for a long time, you may need to add a pinch, depending on your taste. Always taste to be sure not to make the dish too sweet, or too salty: cod is often treacherous!