Grilled Stoccafisso: a delight paired with Bouquet wine

Before starting today's recipe, a few necessary clarifications: please don't confuse stoccafisso with baccalà!
The first is obviously cod that has been gutted and dried, while the second is preserved in salt.
This recipe brings together a bit of the history of both branches of my family: on one side, my maternal grandfather, who, born into a not very wealthy family but endowed with a great entrepreneurial spirit, began selling "o' stocc" as a teenager, carrying it around with a cart and covering kilometers – it was just the first small step of someone who, on his own, managed to build a considerable fortune through very different business ventures; on the other, my paternal grandfather, a barber and opera singer with a great love for family, religion, and tradition.

Two very different people – one distinguished by determination and drive, the other, I'm told (since I never knew him), by kindness and gentleness.
If one of my grandfathers sold it, the other cooked it in a very special way!
My paternal grandfather made it on the grill!

He would take the "cureniello" (also called coriniello), the fillet taken from the central part of the stoccafisso (specifically the one on the "hump"), and cook it with patience and care.
First of all, you need to soak the pieces of stoccafisso (nice and thick) for a couple of hours in a pinzimonio made of:

• mint
• vinegar
• parsley
• lemon juice and zest
• oil (in the same quantity as the oil)

Thanks to this process, the fish will lose some of its strong smell and will be lightly marinated.

Next, prepare a mixture identical to the one above, but with the addition of salt.
The preparation of the dish is very easy – simply lay the cureniello skin-side down on the grill and let it cook!

The hard part is actually the cooking: the fish cannot be turned and must be left to cook slowly; everything is made more complex by the thickness of the pieces.
I recommend, if you have the option, using a barbecue where you can close the lid to allow a "steaming" effect that also lets the dish absorb more of the aromas from the mixture we prepared earlier.

With this very refined and delicate dish, we could pair a Riesling, or a sparkling wine!
I went with the second option and decided to drink something consistent with the elegance and delicacy of what we would be eating.
The choice is Bouquet Tenuta Primavera, a rosé sparkling wine made from Merlot grapes.

A very elegant label featuring a rose that couldn't contain a more fitting product.
Interesting perlage, pale pink color, red fruit aromas with a good mineral note; on the palate, its savory quality and freshness make it the ideal partner for this Stoccafisso.

The cost of this gem? 10–13 euros, absolutely well spent.
This wine will make your summer less scorching and your table more vibrant and refined.

No, this time it wasn't needed to impress a woman!
I dedicate this recipe to my grandparents and to my father.