Pici with Stockfish from Mammola

Method

1. Clean the stoccafisso or baccalà: remove any remaining skin, scales, and bones. Cut the thicker belly parts (ventricelle) into large pieces (about double the size of the other pieces). Cut the remaining fish into 1 cm cubes.
2. Crush the garlic cloves, remove the skin and inner germ, then chop finely.
3. Finely chop the chili pepper.
4. In a large pan, heat extra virgin olive oil over low heat. Add the chopped garlic and chili, and sauté for 10–15 seconds until fragrant.
5. Add the fish pieces (both the ventricelle and cubes) to the pan. If using stoccafisso, season with salt now. If using baccalà, do not add salt.
6. Add the pitted black olives and cherry tomatoes. If you prefer the version without cheese, add oregano at this point.
7. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the fish is tender and the ventricelle have softened and begin to melt.
8. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pici (or thick spaghetti) until al dente, reserving some pasta water before draining.
9. Grate the pecorino romano cheese (if using).
10. After the sauce has cooked for 10 minutes, add a ladle of pasta water to the pan and mix well.
11. Drain the pasta 1 minute before al dente and transfer it directly to the pan with the sauce. Finish cooking the pasta in the pan over medium heat, adding more pasta water as needed to keep it creamy.
12. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
13. Once the pasta is perfectly al dente and the sauce is creamy, turn off the heat.
14. Add the chopped fresh parsley (off heat) and stir.
15. Add a little more pasta water to help create a creamy emulsion.
16. Add the grated pecorino romano (if using; if you used oregano, skip this step) and toss vigorously to combine. If the pasta seems dry, add another splash of pasta water.
17. Serve immediately, drizzling with a little extra virgin olive oil.