Pasta with Artichokes, Bottarga, and Cod

Method

1. Clean the baccalà: remove the skin by sliding a knife under it and pulling, then cut into small cubes.
2. In a pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add the baccalà cubes. Cook without stirring until the fish releases its water and is cooked through. Set aside.
3. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
4. Clean the artichokes: remove outer leaves, cut off the top, halve them, and remove the inner choke. Immediately place in water with lemon juice to prevent browning.
5. Slice the artichokes thinly (including the tender stems). In the same pan, add a little more olive oil and a clove of garlic, then add the artichoke slices. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, adding small amounts of water as needed, until tender and slightly crispy.
6. For the garnish, thinly slice extra artichoke hearts, pat dry, and fry in seed oil until golden and crispy. Set aside.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with less salt than usual (because baccalà and bottarga are salty), and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
8. When the pasta is almost ready, drain it (reserving some pasta water) and transfer it to the pan with the artichokes. Finish cooking together, adding a splash of pasta water to make it creamy.
9. Add the cooked baccalà back to the pan, along with a handful of fresh mentuccia (or mint) leaves. Toss well.
10. Remove from heat and add grated lemon zest.
11. Plate the pasta, top with crispy fried artichokes, shave bottarga over the top, and garnish with a few fresh mentuccia leaves.