Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [136]
LONG BEFORE my native region of Romagna, on the northern Adriatic shore, became known for its string of beach towns and their all-night discos, it was famous for its fish. Romagna’s fishermen are unsurpassed in the art of grilling. Their secret, aside from the freshness of their catch, is to steep fish in a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, rosemary, and bread crumbs for an hour or more before broiling it. It’s a method that works well with all fish, sweetening its natural sea flavor and keeping the flesh from drying out over the fire.
For 4 or more servings
2½ to 3 pounds whole fish, gutted and scaled, OR fish steaks
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
A small sprig of fresh rosemary OR ½ teaspoon dried leaves chopped very fine
⅓ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
OPTIONAL: a charcoal or wood-burning grill
OPTIONAL: a small branch of fresh bay leaves or several dried leaves
1. Wash the fish or the fish steaks in cold water, then pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
2. Sprinkle the fish liberally with salt and pepper on both sides, put it on a large platter, and add the olive oil, lemon juice, and rosemary. Turn the fish two or three times to coat it well. Add the bread crumbs, turning the fish once or twice again until it has an even coating of oil-soaked bread crumbs. Marinate for 1 or 2 hours at room temperature, turning and basting the fish from time to time.
3. If using charcoal or wood, light the charcoal in time for it to form white ash before cooking, or the wood long enough in advance to reduce it to hot embers. If using an indoor gas or electric grill, preheat it at least 15 minutes before you are ready to cook.
4. Place the fish 4 to 5 inches from the source of heat. Do not discard its marinade. If cooking on charcoal or with wood, throw the bay leaves into the fire, otherwise omit. Grill on both sides until done, turning the fish once. Depending on the thickness of the fish steaks or the size of the whole fish, it may take between 5 and 15 minutes. While cooking, baste the top with the marinade. Serve piping hot from the grill.
Grilled Swordfish Steaks, Sicilian Salmoriglio Style
WHEREVER IN THE WORLD you may be when having fish prepared in the salmoriglio style, you might think you are breathing the pungent summer air of the Mediterranean. Olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano make a beguilingly fragrant amalgam that is brushed on smoking hot fish the moment it’s lifted from the grill. The fish of choice is swordfish, as it would be on Sicily’s eastern shore, but other steak fish such as tuna, halibut, mako shark, or tilefish are acceptable alternatives. The Sicilian practice of using rather thin slices is ideal because it makes it possible to keep the fish on the grill such a brief time that it doesn’t have a chance to dry out.
For 4 to 6 servings
OPTIONAL: a charcoal grill
Salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano OR 1 teaspoon dried
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 pounds fresh swordfish OR other fish steaks, sliced no more than ½ inch thick
1. If using charcoal, light it in time for it to form white ash before cooking. If using an indoor gas or electric grill, preheat it at least 15 minutes before you are ready to cook.
2. Put a liberal amount of salt, about 1 tablespoon, into a small bowl, add the lemon juice, and beat with a fork until the salt has dissolved. Add the oregano, mixing it in with the fork. Trickle in the olive oil, drop by drop, beating it in with the fork to blend it with the lemon juice. Add several grindings of pepper, stirring to distribute it evenly.
3. When the broiler or charcoal is ready, place the fish close to the source of heat so that it cooks quickly at high heat. Grill it for about 2 minutes on one side, then turn it and grill the other side for 1½ to 2 minutes. It doesn’t need to become brown on the surface.
4. Transfer the fish to a large, warm serving platter. Prick