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CERNIA ALLA GHIOTTA (GROUPER IN CAPER, OLIVE AND CHILI SAUCE)
PG tested
“Made in Sicily” by acclaimed United Kingdom chef Giorgio Locatelli is brimming with excellent seafood recipes, including this one.
— Bob Batz Jr. ¼ cup whole green olives
in brine 2 ripe plum tomatoes Extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon garlic oil
(recipe follows) ½ medium onion, chopped 1 celery stick, chopped ¼ carrot, chopped 2 ounces dry white wine A pinch of dried chili flakes,
or to taste 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salted capers, rinsed and well drained Sea salt 4 fillets of grouper or sea
bream, each 6 ounces 2 tablespoons parsley and
garlic (recipe follows)
Drain the olives and pat dry. With a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 cuts in each olive from end to end, then cut each segment away from the stone as carefully as you can.
Put the tomatoes into a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain them under cold water and you should be able to peel them easily. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and chop the flesh.
In a pan big enough to hold the fillets of fish, heat a little extra-virgin olive oil, then add the garlic oil. Put in the onion, celery and carrot and cook gently until soft, but only lightly colored. Pour in the white wine, and let it bubble up to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Add the chili flakes, capers and olives, and season with a little salt (be careful, as the capers will be quite salty). Add the fish to the pan, spooning over the sauce to make sure it is covered, then add the tomatoes and, if you like, more chili.
Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper over the top of the pan, and put the lid over it, so the pan is completely sealed. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Scatter with the parsley and garlic. Serves 4.
PREZZEMOLO E AGLIO (PARSLEY AND GARLIC)
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“This is a way of preparing parsley and garlic that brings out the maximum flavor in both, and is something I’ve always done,” writes Giorgio Locatelli. “Every morning in the restaurant we prepare it. To 1 garlic clove we use about 4 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley. We put the garlic cloves on a chopping board and crush them with the flat of a kitchen knife, so that they become a paste. Then we put the parsley on top and chop it finely, so that we are chopping through the garlic at the same time, and the 2 flavors mingle.”
OLIO ALL’AGLIO (GARLIC OIL)
PG tested 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 ounce plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix together and leave for a day in the fridge before using. It will keep, refrigerated, up to 3 days. When you spoon it out, you should have about 75 percent oil and 25 percent chopped garlic. Makes about 11⁄ ounces.
2 — “Made in Sicily” by Giorgio Locatelli (Ecco, Feb. 2012, $45)