[Sca-cooks] A pleasant Italian Fish recipe

[Tom Vincent]

Someone a few weeks complained/implied that I thought a recipe 'sounded' or 'looked' period when I provided a few non-documented recipes with ingredients that were all period (well, except for green beans in one).
   
  I figure that so many period cookbooks have been published, distributed, dissected, redacted and wrestled with in Med/Ren groups around the country that there isn't too much 'new under the sun', so to speak.  
   
  So, I look for pleasant, easy recipes that lend themselves to feasts -- does *anyone* do Med/Ren cooking for less than 50 anymore? :) -- have period ingredients & techniques that might help or inspire someone.  Fancy & complex I'll save for arts entries. :)
   
  Here's one from today's "The Splendid Table"
   
  Enjoy!
   
  Duriel
  [go ahead and shoot me because I share]
   
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  This is the way Italians love fresh fish—simply poached and served warm with a little good olive oil and fresh lemon. The secret is in careful attention to the quality of each element. Poach the freshest fish, drizzle each piece with olive oil you want to eat from a spoon. Squeeze fresh lemon over the fish and dust with salt and pepper.
  Simple Fresh Fish, Italian Style
  © 2006 Lynne Rossetto Kasper. 
  Serves 3 to 4; doubles easily
    
   4 cloves garlic, crushed   
   8 branches Italian parsley   
   1 teaspoon salt   
   Water   
   1 to 1-1/2 pounds firm-fleshed fish fillets, or thick-cut steaks (like striped bass, tilapia, cod,sea trout, salmon, char, haddock, pollack, halibut, or blue fish), or whole fish weighing 2 to 3 pounds   
   Good tasting extra-virgin olive oil   
   2 medium lemons, cut into wedges   
   Additional Italian parsley branches for garnish   
   Salt and fresh-ground black pepper 
  1. In a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan combine garlic, parsley, and salt in water about 2-1/2 inches deep. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Measure fish pieces for thickness. Cooking time is 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
  2. Slip fish into the water, adjusting heat so the liquid shudders but doesn't bubble. Cook 8 to 10 minutes to the inch, or until all but the very center of each piece of fish is opaque. Check by making a small slit in the thickest part of the fish.
  3. As each piece is done, use a pierced spatula to lift it onto a heated platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley branches, and serve immediately. At the table, invite everyone to season their fish with salt, pepper, drizzles of olive oil, and fresh squeezed lemon.
  LYNNE'S TIPS
    
   Fresh fish comes into many markets on Wednesday and Friday. That's when to buy. 

  
   Ask when the fish arrived at the store.

  
   Sniff the fish if possible. There should be no strong odor. Fresh fish smells sweet and clean.

  
   Look for a moist surface and firm flesh. Splits or cracks in fillets are signs of drying.

  
   Press the fish gently. The indentation should spring back. If not, pass.

  
   One reason chefs and seafood experts prefer whole fish is the prime tell-tale sign of freshness. A fresh fish has clear luminous eyes. They're not clouded or sunken. Be dubious of a counter or shop where all whole fish are headless—not a good sign.

  
   Keep fish fresh by burying it in ice. Take a shallow container, cover the bottom with crushed ice or cubes, then put the fish on that and cover with more ice. Cook within a day of purchase.



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Tom Vincent
Demon Prince (retired)
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Want kids?  Do this horribly over-populated world a favor and adopt one that's already here.
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