Scrape and clean the carrots, cut the ends off the zucchini and peel and wash the potatoes. Boil all the vegetables together in a generous amount of water with a pinch of salt (this way you save time, water and saucepans…); you just have to watch out for the cooking times, which are different for the various types of vegetables (the zucchini cook first). When each type is cooked “al dente”, remove it from the water, using a strainer, and leave it to cool down. Cook the salt cod in plenty of water, with the carrot, celery and clove of garlic, for roughly 15 minutes. Strain it, remove the vegetables, transfer it onto a chopping board and leave to cool. Then, with the help of a sharp knife, remove the skin from the cod, cut it into pieces and put it to one side on a plate. Cut up the boiled vegetables as well; slice the zucchini and carrots, either cut the potatoes into slices and then divide them in half, or if you prefer, cut them into pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half, and now all the “protagonists” of the salad are ready.

Place the cod, boiled vegetables, tomatoes and olives on a serving dish; season with salt, pepper and oil, and mix together (delicately). The finishing touch, a few leaves of parsley here and there (or basil, according to the season). Buon appetito!

(1) …even if you buy it already soaked and desalted, it’s always a good idea to soak salt cod for at least a morning, changing the water once or twice before cooking it. If on the other hand you buy it still salted, it needs to be soaked for at least 2 days, with the water changed many times.