fish Archives - Ciao Chow Linda

Stuffed Fluke Rollups

April 27, 2023

I’m just back from Sicily where I ate fish almost every day (sometimes twice a day) but I also indulged in too many pastas, prosciutto and pastries. The scale doesn’t lie and it told me I gained six pounds in the three weeks I was gone. The older I get, it seems the harder it is to lose weight, despite all the walking I did on my trip — most days at least 12,000 steps and one day even 21,000 steps (or 7 miles)! It’s all about what goes in the mouth, and I’m paying for it now, but I don’t regret one cannolo or plate of busiate. But I need to do a detox or I’ll look like a cannolo myself.

This fish dish is healthy, easy to prepare, tastes great and is pretty low-cal too. If you want to make it for company, you can prepare it ahead of time and bake at the last minute, while you enjoy a cocktail with your guests. The recipe is for two people, but it easily doubles or triples to feed more. I live in New Jersey where locally caught flounder or fluke is easy to find. This would also be delicious with sole or snapper. The shrimp I buy are wild-caught too, from U.S. waters. I’m very skeptical of quality control in shrimp or any fish (frozen or otherwise) that comes from Asia, so I typically seek out only wild caught seafood from the U.S.

Season the filets with salt, pepper and paprika and place the filling at one end.

Roll up the pieces and keep the open end on the bottom.

Place them in a casserole lined with lemon slices, then sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika and minced parsley on top. Place a few pats of butter on top, but don’t overdo it. For this recipe of three pieces, I used only a tablespoon of butter. Pour the wine around the fish and bake, covered with aluminum foil until it flakes easily. If you make this ahead of time, be sure to remove from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, or you’ll need to bake it longer in the oven.

I always like to serve rice with a dish like this, to sop up some of the flavorful juices. I’ve gotten quite partial to brown rice over the years, not just for its nutritional advantages, but also its nutty taste.

The three pieces, weighing less than a pound, were more than enough for the two of us, when served with the rice and snow peas. Any green vegetable, like broccoli, green beans or spinach, would also pair well with this dish.

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Stuffed Fluke Rollups

Ingredients

3 pieces of fluke or flounder filet (all three pieces weighed about ¾ lb.)
4 or 5 medium size uncooked wild caught shrimp, cut into pieces
3 thick slices of firm Italian or French bread, trimmed of crusts and cut into pieces
1 egg, beaten (but only use half the egg)
1 medium size shallot, minced
1 small piece of celery, finely diced
minced parsley
salt, pepper to taste
paprike
2 tbsps. of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
white wine to pour around fish (about ½ cup)

Instructions

Place the olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a saucepan and cook the shallots and celery on low heat until they are transparent.
Place the bread in a bowl with the shrimp and the sauteed vegetables.
Add the seasoning (salt and pepper) and the parsley.
Pour in about ½ the beaten egg and mix with your hands.
It should stick together somewhat.
If not, add more egg.
Dry each fish filet and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the filling mixture evenly and place at one end of the filet.
Roll up the filet and place in a casserole lined with lemon slices.
Season the top of the filets with salt, pepper and paprika, and place a tbsp of butter on top, dividing among the three pieces.
Pour the wine around the fish.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake aat 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Easy Grilled Sea Bass

July 25, 2022

This summer’s heat wave has been unrelenting, with many places in our area reaching more than 100 degrees. Who feels like heating up the kitchen in this weather? Not I, but I still like to eat well, and can only eat out so often or get takeout before I crave a home cooked meal. This sea bass dish is so simple to make, when you use a disposable aluminum pan on your grill. It keeps the heat outdoors; it’s delicious and good for you too. I cooked the tomatoes in the pan for a few minutes first, before adding the fish, because the fish takes only five minutes on a hot grill, not enough time for the tomatoes to soften, especially since some of them aren’t on the bottom of the pan in direct contact with the hottest part of the pan. Just snuggle all the ingredients in the pan. It’s easy for us to get locally caught sea bass this time of year, but if you don’t have access to it, use another type of fileted fish, like flounder, branzino or snapper. Make sure to use abundant minced herbs. In this case, I used chives, thyme and parsley.

In addition to the capers and olives, I added a couple of small hot peppers to give it a bit more tang. It really wasn’t very hot since I didn’t split the peppers and expose the seeds, so give it a try. I also added some pickled green peppers and they gave it some zip too.

It took only five minutes to cook on the grill, resulting in this flavorful, easy-to-make meal fit for company. I’ll be making this many times before the summer is over, substituting whatever is the freshest catch in the fish market that day. If your fish is thicker, just leave it for a longer time on the grill.

I served it with some rice (and other vegetables not shown). I’ve even been known to plug in my rice cooker in an outlet outdoors, eliminating the need to turn on the indoor burners entirely.

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Grilled Sea Bass

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

one pound sea bass (or any other filleted fish like flounder, branzino, etc.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
about 6 to 8 cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half or quartered if large
about a dozen olives, pitted
2 tablespoons capers
a couple of red hot peppers
a few green pickled peppers
minced fresh herbs (I used thyme, parsley and chives)
half a lemon
salt and pepper
a disposable aluminum pan

Instructions

Place the olive oil and butter in the disposable pan.
Add the chopped tomatoes, a litlte salt and pepper and place the pan on top of a grill.
Cook the tomatoes for about five minutes to soften a little, because the fish will take only five minutes and in the tomatoes won't soften enough if you wait to put them in when you put in the fish.
Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper and the herbs.
After the tomatoes have cooked for five minutes, remove the pan from the grill and add the fish to the disposable pan, flipping them in the butter and olive oil once to moisten the fish.
More liquid will be released from the fish after a few minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, spreading them evenly around the pan.
Place the pan on the hot grill once again, and close the lid on the grill.
Cook for about 5 minutes, longer if the fish is thick.
Remove to a serving platter aand enjoy.

Flounder with canned cherry tomatoes, olives and capers

March 2, 2022

I’m a big fan of canned cherry tomatoes, especially in the winter when fresh tomatoes are so tasteless. But I use them all year long too, in soups, sauces and other ways. They might be hard to find where you live, and if that’s the case, there are plenty of sources online to buy them. They’re definitely worth seeking with their intense, jammy flavor. With the Lenten season upon us, this makes for an easy and delicious Friday meal. It’s packed with flavor from not only the tomatoes, but also from the olives and capers. And it takes minutes to prepare and cook. Place everything in a parchment-lined tin or rimmed cookie sheet for easy cleanup. Pour a little olive oil over the parchment, place the fish over the oil, then season with salt and pepper. Spread some of the tomatoes on top, and cut up some olives (I used green olives but you could just as well use purple Kalamata olives or cured black Sicilian olives too.) Spread the olives and capers all over the fish, then add some herbs. I used oregano that I dried from my plants last summer, plus some fresh parsley. Give everything another little sprinkle of olive oil and place in the oven for five to six minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.

You could use nearly any kind of fish filets for this recipe, from flounder, to sole, to snapper to branzino, If you use cod or a similarly thicker fish, you’ll need to keep it in the oven longer than six minutes. Use a wide spatula to transfer each filet to a serving platter, otherwise the pieces will break.

Serve with rice, pasta or quinoa to soak up all those healthy, delicious juices that come oozing out after it’s cooked.

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Flounder with canned cherry tomatoes, olives and capers

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

one pound flounder, sole, branzino or snapper filets
canned cherry tomatoes
green olives
capers
olive oil
salt, pepper
dried oregano
fresh parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place a piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet and sprinkle a little olive oil over the paper.
Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.
Lay the fish over the olive oil and spread the cherry tomatoes, olives and capers on top, using as much or as little as you like.
Sprinkle some dried oregano and fresh parsley over the fish and give everything another drizzle of olive oil.
Bake for five to six minutes, or longer if your fish is thick.
Serve with rice, noodles or quinoa.

Zucchini Crusted Haddock with Orange Salsa

January 13, 2022

Just in time for the January “let’s-eat low-cal-but-delicious” comes this recipe from Michele at “Our Italian Table.” As soon as I saw it, with its accompaniment of blood orange salsa, I knew what would be on our dinner table the next night. I made some adjustments, using haddock instead of cod, since my fish market has been selling really fresh wild haddock lately. Halibut would also be delicious here. I would have used the blood oranges called for in the recipe, but I had cara cara instead, and they worked just fine. But I’ll look for blood oranges next time, since they would add even more color. I added a little red onion and parsley, since I didn’t have the thyme the recipe called for, but other herbs would work great too, including chives or cilantro.

Use a mandoline to slice the zucchini very thinly and place the slices atop the fish, which has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Season the zucchini with salt and pepper too, then a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of cornmeal. Don’t try to tuck the slices under the fish or you’ll be asking for trouble.

When the fish comes out of the oven, the slices are then pliable enough to easily tuck them under. A lot of liquid was released from the fish and the zucchini, but cooking the fish over parchment paper makes for easy cleanup.

While the fish is cooking, make the salsa using either blood oranges, cara cara or any other orange you like. Peel the orange with a knife, then cut supremes (no, not the Motown group, but orange sections) in between each membrane.

I served it with some saffron rice and broccoli and it was not only a colorful meal, but a delicious one that was waistline-friendly too.

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Zucchini Crusted Haddock with Orange Salsa

Author: Ciao Chow Linda by way of Our Italian Table

Ingredients

FOR TWO PEOPLE:
¾- 1 pound haddock, cod or halibut
thin slices of zucchini
salt, pepper
olive oil
cornmeal to sprinkle on top
FOR THE SALSA:
2 oranges (cara cara or blood oranges)
a slice of red onion, finely chopped
minced parsley (or chives, thyme or cilantro)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic (or red wine) vinegar
salt, pepper

Instructions

Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Lay the fish on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Slice the zucchini paper thin, either with a mandoline or by hand.
Layer the slices over the fish, overlapping them like fish scales.
Season with salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of cornmeal.
Cook in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
While the fish is cooking, make the salsa by segmenting the oranges and mixing with the rest of the ingredients.

Grilled Codfish with Cherry Tomatoes

August 28, 2021

I’ve got a gazillion cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine and looking for a home. This recipe, adapted from my blogging buddy, Stacey, is the perfect place for these teensy tomatoes that are no larger than a small sourball candy. You probably won’t be able to find them this tiny, but regular-sized cherry or grape tomatoes work fine here too. Everything gets placed in a disposable aluminum pan and cooked on a hot grill, keeping your kitchen cool on a hot summer’s day. In 15 minutes, dinner is ready, and you don’t have to flip the fish at all if you keep the lid down on the grill. You needn’t limit yourself to cod either. Try it with flounder, snapper or halibut, for example, but depending on the thickness of the fish, you may have to cook it a shorter or longer time on the grill.

There is a lot of delicious sauce that oozes forth from the tomatoes and other ingredients, so serve it over rice, polenta or pasta to soak up all those juices.

Since I was heavy-handed with the tomatoes, there were a lot left over, after we had eaten all the fish. I saved a little of the rice and green beans also, and the next day had a delicious lunch heated up in the microwave.

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Codfish with Cherry Tomatoes on the Grill

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

1 lb. codfish
whole cherry tomatoes (I didn't measure but there were at least two cups - use as many as you like)
3 anchovies (anchovy haters - please don't ignore these - it won't taste like anchovies, but adds a great "umami" flavor)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp capers
1 large shallot, sliced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt & pepper
1 lemon, half sliced and placed in pan, and half juiced and poured into the pan
1 tablespoon butter
fresh oregano leaves
fresh basil leaves, minced
fresh parsley minced

Instructions

Drizzle a little olive oil onto the bottom of a disposable aluminum pan.
Add the codfish, seasoning with salt and pepper and then placing a pat of butter on top
Pour the juice of half a lemon over the fish.
Place the rest of the ingredients (except the basil and parsley) in the pan and toss lightly to coat everything.
Cook on a hot grill with the lid closed for 15 minutes, (or longer if your fish is thicker and not cooked through)
Sprinkle the cooked fish with the minced basil and parsley, and serve.

Seared Salmon

March 12, 2021

Salmon is a staple in our diet, and I typically make it in the oven, spritzing with some lemon juice, then smearing with a little Dijon mustard, dill and roasting it for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. But I recently started pan searing it and have discovered our new favorite way to eat salmon. The browning in butter makes for a crunchy top, and adds more flavor to an already distinctive fish. Start by seasoning the salmon with salt and pepper, then placing skin side UP, into a skillet that’s been coated with some olive oil, and turned to medium to high heat, as in the photo below.

After it’s been cooking for about three or four minutes, check to see if it’s browned enough to your liking. Then flip it so that the skin makes contact with the pan. Warning: This splatters a lot so be prepared to clean your cooktop after dinner is over. Place a lid on the pan and let it cook for another couple of minutes.

Remove the lid and lower the heat a bit. I wanted the butter to be the dominant flavor, so I drained the olive oil at this point, but if you don’t mind the extra calories, leave in the olive oil when you add the butter. Add the shaved garlic and lemon juice, and spoon a little of the liquid over the salmon. Sprinkle with the parsley, and place a lid on top again.

Cook for another two to three minutes and serve. Rice is always a good complement to fish, as are any number of vegetables, from squash to green beans. Serve with extra lemon.

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Seared Salmon

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

FOR TWO SERVINGS:
2 pieces of salmon, with skin on, total weight about 1-1/14 lbs.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
juice of ½ lemon, plus a few slices for garnish
salt, pepper
minced parsley

Instructions

season the salmon with salt and pepper and a little lemon juice, saving most of the lemon juice for later.
Turn up the heat on the skillet to medium high and place the salmon, skin side up, in the pan.
Let it sear for about three or four minutes, or until it forms a nice crust.
Using a long spatula, carefully flip the salmon over, being careful not to break the skin.
Turn the heat to medium, and place a lid on the pan.
Cook over medium heat for another two minutes.
Remove the lid, and drain off most of the oil (or you can leave it if you want).
Lower the heat to low to medium, then add the two tablespoons of butter, the garlic slices and the lemon juice.
Spoon a bit of the liquid over the salmon.
Sprinkle with parsley and place the lid on again.
Cook for another two to three minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

Flounder Baked in Fig Leaves

September 23, 2020

Since our fig tree is recalcitrant when it comes to producing ripe fruit, I decided to use some of its abundant leaves instead. Did you know that fig leaves are edible? They’re kind of tough to eat without boiling first, but for this kind of recipe, they’re perfect. They keep the fish moist, and impart a delicate flavor to what’s inside. Don’t turn away if you don’t have a fig tree — this recipe can easily be made with Swiss chard (or grape) leaves instead. But if you have a fig tree, or know someone with one, you will love this recipe. It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s low in calories and it’s good for you to boot. Cut a nice size leaf or two from your tree for each fish filet, and place it on a baking sheet that has been smeared with olive oil. Center the fish filet in the center of the leaf, then season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. I used a combination of chives, parsley and thyme. Place a couple of lemon slices over the herbs and fish, then drizzle with a little olive oil. Fold the leaves over the fish, overlapping them to hold them in place. If you have a gap where the fish shows through, cut up another leaf and cover the space. Flip the entire leaf-wrapped fish over, so that the flaps are on the underside.

After 15 minutes in the oven, it will look something like this:

Using a long spatula, carefully flip the package of fish and leaves back over so that when you place it on your plate, you’ll be able to peel back the leaf easily and reveal the fish. The lemon will have softened enough that just pressing gently with a fork will release the remaining lemon juice onto the fish. Then bite into and enjoy a very moist, delicious piece of flounder.

If I can’t enjoy a bounty of figs from my tree, at least I can make use of some of those beautiful leaves.

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Flounder Baked in Fig Leaves

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

Flounder (or salmon or snapper) (1 filet per person)
fig leaves (1 or 2 large fig leaves per portion)
olive oil to drizzle
salt, pepper
fresh herbs (I used a combination of chives, thyme and parsley)
lemon slices

Instructions

Rinse the fig leaves.
Spread a little olive oil on a cookie sheet.
Lay the fig leaf down, then place a filet of fish on top.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, the minced herbs, then drizzle a little olive oil on top of the fish.
Lay a couple of slices of lemon over the fish.
Close the fig leaf over the fish, then flip it over so that the flaps are on the bottom.
If some of the fish is uncovered, but up another fig leaf and wrap around the exposed parts.
Bake in a 375 degree over for 25 minutes.
Serve immediately with the fig leaves, allowing each person to unwrap the leaves.

Halibut with oranges and salsa verde

February 3, 2020

In an effort to eat more low calorie foods and lose some weight before dress shopping for my daughter’s wedding, I have been trying to cut back on the pizza, pasta and pastries and focus on fish, fruit and flavors. (I am constantly sabotaging myself and Superbowl Sunday party foods didn’t help.) Since it’s citrus season, and I can’t seem to get enough of those luscious cara cara oranges and blood oranges, I combined them with a fish that I love to order when eating out — halibut. It’s always so expensive at the fish market, making it a relative bargain on a restaurant menu. But I couldn’t resist buying some when I saw it on sale last week, and a 3/4 pound piece was enough for the two of us. It provided the perfect foil for the oranges and the salsa verde. It couldn’t be much simpler to cook either. Just dry the fish thoroughly, sprinkle with salt and white pepper and place it skin side down in a hot skillet coated with oil. I didn’t use olive oil here since the heat is cranked way up, but rather chose canola oil. You could use peanut or safflower oil, which also have a high smoking point. The skin will start to crisp up, and eventually loosen from the pan. After about five minutes, lower the temperature of the burner.

You could flip the fish over and finish cooking on the other side, or even easier, just leave it skin side down and cover with a lid. It should finish cooking in just a couple of minutes.

While the fish is cooking (or before you even start cooking the fish), make the salsa verde, by finely mincing the parsley, dill, onion, capers and jalapeño. The jalapeño is optional, but I had some candied jalapeño in the pantry and I thought they would add a nice “zip” to the salsa.

Scatter the orange sections and salsa all around the fish.

Serve with some rice and vegetables for a colorful, healthy and easy to prepare dinner that’s fit for company or just you and your partner.

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Halibut with oranges and salsa verde

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

¾ lb. - 1 lb. halibut
2 tablespoons canola, safflower, peanut or other vegetable oil with a high smoking point
2 oranges sectioned into supremes (I used one cara cara and one blood orange)
FOR THE SALSA VERDE:
½ cup finely minced parsley
½ cup finely minced dill
a couple of tablespoons finely minced red onion
1 tablespoon capers
a couple of slices of candied or fresh jalapeno (optional)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt, pepper
juice that remains in the oranges after sectioning

Instructions

Let the halibut sit on the counter for about a half hour to let it reach a temperature closer to the room temperature.
It will cook more evenly if it's not cold from the refrigerator.
Dry the piece (or pieces) of fish, then sprinkle with salt and white pepper.
Heat the oil in a skillet, then add the fish, skin side down.
Cook at high heat until the skin starts to loosen from the pan.
(Be patient - It will take five minutes or so and it will splatter a lot of oil on your stove).
At this point, lower the heat slightly, and put a lid on the pan to finish cooking.
It should take only a couple of minutes to finish cooking.
While the fish is cooking, section the oranges and make the salsa verde.
For the salsa, combine all the ingredients and stir with a fork.
Remove the halibut from the pan, drizzle the salsa on the fish and around the sides, and scatter the orange sections all around.

Swordfish alla Bagnarese

July 5, 2019

My kitchen shelves are bursting with cookbooks, many of which seldom get used after the initial purchase. Are you like me, in falling back on dishes you’ve made over and over again, rather than trying some of those recipes in those forgotten cookbooks? I have a new resolve to open those cookbooks more often, since there is such a wealth of good recipes still to be explored. I have loved Rosetta Costantino’s “My Calabria” since it first came out several years ago, especially since my father’s family is from Calabria. I’ve probably made only about three or four of the recipes from this book, but there are dozens I still want to try. I recently made this swordfish recipe from Rosetta’s book for the first time, and I know it’s going to be one of those that I’ll make over and over again. It’s easy, it’s quick to cook, it’s healthy and it’s delicious.

The hardest part is finding a heatproof shallow bowl that’s just big enough for your swordfish piece and a lidded pot that can hold the bowl. My swordfish weighed a little less than one pound, enough for the two of us. For larger amounts, it might be tricky to find appropriate size container, but I’ve got another solution below. Season with salt and pepper, then add the shaved garlic, a little olive oil, capers, parsley and lemon juice. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil, then place it the bowl inside a larger saucepan with water that comes up halfway on the outside of the bowl. Place a lid on the saucepan and turn the heat up fairly high. It will need to cook anywhere from 8 minutes to 14 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Remove the foil and check to see if the fish is cooked through. If too much water has gathered in the bowl, drain some off and add another drizzle of olive oil and some fresh parsley. I like extra lemon squirted over it too.

OK, if you’re still with me and want to make more than two portions, make this recipe using parchment paper and your oven. I placed the swordfish on a piece of parchment paper resting on a cookie tin, then added all the rest of the ingredients (actually I had fresh garlic scapes so I used those instead of garlic slivers.) I also added a couple of slices of fresh lemon in addition to the lemon juice.

Close the parchment package, crimping all along the edges. I should state that the parchment paper should be cut to a kind of heart shape that’s a lot bigger than the fish. You’ll place the fish on one half of the heart shape.

I wasn’t sure how long to roast it (my fish was about 3/4 inch thick), but I cooked it for 15 minutes at 400 degrees in the oven. It was perfect. I suspect that 12 minutes might work for thinner cuts, and because of the liquids surrounding the fish, it stayed beautifully moist.

Sprinkle with more fresh herbs before serving to give it a “greener” look.

Serve with rice or potatoes to scoop up those delicious liquids from the fish, and a green vegetable of your choice for a low-cal, but delicious meal.

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swordfish

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

Ingredients

2 skinless fresh swordfish steaks, about ⅜ inch thick and 5 to 6 ounces each
(I made it with one swordfish steak that was about ¾ inch thick and weighed slightly less than a pound.)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 large garlic cove, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I used more)

Instructions

Season the swordfish on both sides with salt and pepper.
Using the 1 tablespoon olive oil, coat a baking dish just large enough to hold the swordfish.
Put the swordfish in the baking dish and scatter the garlic around it.
Sprinkle the surface of the fish with capers and parsley.
Spoon the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water over the fish.
Cover the baking dish tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.
Choose a large roasting pan or other deep pan that can take stovetop heat and accommodate the baking dish.
Set the pan on a burner and put the baking dish in it.
In a separate pan or teakettle bring several cups of water to a boil for pouring into the roasting pan.
Turn the heat to high under the roasting pan and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
After the water returns to a boil, cook the fish for 8 minutes (It took closer to 14 minutes to cook my fish, but it was thicker than Rosetta's.)
Uncover and check for doneness; the fish should be cooked through but still moist and surrounded with flavorful juices.
Taste the juices and add more salt if necessary.
Serve the swordfish in shallow bowls, spooning the garlicky broth over the fish.
Drizzle each portion with additional olive oil.

Pescaturismo and Grilled Fish

August 14, 2018

You’ve probably all heard about agriturismo, but do you know what pescaturismo is? The photo above might give you some clue, but if you’re still unsure, another hint comes from the word “pescare” which means “to fish” in Italian.

On our recent trip to Sardinia, we spent a day at sea aboard the Pescaturismo Sampey fishing boat with owners Gemi and Ignazina, (and their nephew Davide) as they hauled in their fishing nets and cooked the day’s catch for us and five other people.

You never know what’s going to appear as the nets get yanked from the sea. On this day it was lots of cuttlefish (similar to squid).

But there were also plenty of finned fish, such as red mullet and sea bass.

I was hoping for some octopus, which is what happened when I took this trip with Ignazina and Gemi 12 years ago, but the sole octopus that got snared in the net managed to escape while being hauled aboard.

There were still plenty of other fish for us to eat, and for Ignazina to remove from the net!

Gemi, Igna and Davide worked on extracting the fish from the net, cleaning and cooking them, as we were moored off the coast of a small island. Note the flag on the boat, which is the traditional flag of the island, featuring the four moors.

While they did all the work, we were free to jump off the boat, swim and snorkel in the beautiful clear, turquoise waters.

We were summoned back on board for lunch, starting with tomato bruschetta.

Several fish courses followed, cooked in Ignazina’s tiny galley kitchen, including braised cuttlefish.

She also made a seafood risotto, sprinkled with bottarga (fish roe) on top.

Ignazina used some of the whole fish for a seafood stew.

Gemi cooked the rest of the whole fish on a portable grill. We couldn’t have had seafood any fresher unless we had eaten them raw while we were in the water. All this accompanied by limitless wine, homemade limoncello and mirto (blueberry liqueur), and fruit for dessert.

If you’re ever in Southern Sardinia with a day to spare and are looking for something unusual to do, try a day out at sea with Gemi and Ignazina. Their friendliness and hospitality are a great calling card for this beautiful island.

Trying to keep the Sardinia glow alive back at home in New Jersey, I found this two pound sea bass at the local fish store, caught that morning off the coast of our summer home. I smeared the aluminum pan with olive oil, added some herbs inside the fish cavity, scattered some lemon slices and onions around the fish, then my husband cooked it on the outdoor grill.

Filleting a whole fish can be intimidating to some, but once you’ve done it, (directions here), it’s not so difficult.

Besides, when you buy the whole fish, you get the advantage of scooping out the fish cheeks (the small piece on the fork, below) – the most tender and succulent part of all.

I may be far from the crystal clear waters surrounding Sardinia, but I can conjure up those memories at home eating grilled fish, while I remember diving off the side of the Sampey boat.

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