Stocafi

What it really is

Stocafi is a Monegasque salt-cod stew simmered with tomato, black olives, garlic and olive oil. The salted fish is desalted before cooking, then warmed gently with the sauce until the flavors come together.

Salt cod is the defining ingredient. It is soaked and rinsed to remove excess salt, then simmered with tomato, olive oil, garlic and black olives. The fish breaks into flakes as it cooks, while the tomato forms a light sauce and the olives add a briny note. The dish is not a fresh-cod stew: curing changes the fish's texture and salt level, and desalting is an important part of preparation. Soaking time depends on the cut and how heavily it was cured.

Stocafi is associated with Monaco and the wider western Mediterranean tradition of cooking preserved cod with tomato and olives. Recipes vary, and the dish is not presented as having one exclusive origin or fixed formula. Onion or herbs may be used by individual kitchens, but they should not be treated as required ingredients. The sauce should complement the fish rather than conceal it, and the amount of salt left after soaking can vary from batch to batch.

How it's served

• Serve hot, with the fish in spoonable pieces and enough tomato sauce to accompany it.
• Bread or potatoes may be served alongside, but are separate from the modeled stew.

How to write it on the menu

• Identify salt cod and describe the tomato, olive and garlic preparation.
• Confirm desalting, added salt and any extra ingredients; fish is inherent to the dish.

Nutrition and allergen values are indicative for this version; curing and soaking change sodium materially.