Whipped baccala with polenta and parsley oil

Instructions

1. Place the wet baccalà in a large bowl of water and soak for 4 hours, changing the water two or three times. Taste a small piece of flesh; if it is still excessively salty, soak it a bit longer. It should still be salty, but edible. Drain.
2. Place the fish in a medium saucepan and cover with milk. The amount you use will depend on the size of your pan, but reserve about 90 ml (3 fl oz) of the milk for later. Slowly bring the milk to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, then allow the fish to cool slightly in the milk.
3. Remove the fish and flake the pieces of flesh into chunks, discarding the skin and all bones, making sure you do not miss any small ones. You should have 250 g (9 oz) of flesh remaining; if you have more (or less) you may need to adjust how much milk and oil you add accordingly. Place the cleaned fish chunks and garlic in a food processor. Start processing and slowly pour in the mild olive oil, then the reserved milk, a little at a time, checking the consistency as you go and reducing or increasing the amounts you use depending on the weight of your fish. It should be white with a spreadable, mousse-like consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper (take care as you may not need salt); if it is still quite salty, don’t add any salt to the polenta crostini (see below) and this should balance it out.
4. Pour 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) of water into a medium–large saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking the whole time to remove any lumps and reducing the heat as necessary so that it does not spatter. When it becomes very thick, swap the whisk for a wooden spoon and stir for a few more minutes or as per the instructions on your polenta packet.
5. Spread the cooked polenta over a sheet of baking paper on a chopping board so it is about 1 cm (½ in) thick. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and roll out to an even thickness with a rolling pin (or use another board on top to flatten it). Allow to cool, then cut into squares or rectangles (mine were about 5 cm x 3 cm (2 in x 1¼ in).
6. While the polenta is cooling, mix together the parsley and olive oil.
7. Warm the polenta crostini by placing them briefly under a hot grill. Spoon the whipped baccalà on the crostini and drizzle with a little parsley oil just before serving. The whipped baccalà will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4–5 days.