Italian Grill - Mario Batali [36]
Combine the vinegar, the remaining ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, the red onion slices, sugar, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the mackerel fillets and allow to stand for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the raw bottom part has cooked through.
Add the parsley to the lemons, toss to mix well, and place on a serving platter. Stack the mackerel pieces on top of the lemon salad. Drizzle some of the vinegar mixture over the fish, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Scapece was originally a method of preserving fish for a week or two, and it still can be, but I love it for its vibrant acid rush; it really tunes me up. Try to find organic lemons, but regular lemons will be OK if you scrub them well. The longer the lemon salad sits, the sweeter it will be. If you can’t get high-quality mackerel, you can substitute bluefish or even fresh sardines. As with any oily fish, freshness is key: day 1, the fish is great; day 2, it won’t be.
MONKFISH IN PROSCIUTTO
WITH PESTO FREGOLA
SERVES 6
2 pieces monkfish tail (bone and skin removed, and all of the nasty stuff too; about 2½ pounds total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 pound fregola (see page 17), acini di pepe, or orzo
1 cup Pesto (page 50)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch dice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted until golden brown
RINSE THE MONKFISH AND PAT DRY. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange half of the prosciutto slices on a work surface, overlapping them to make a rectangle large enough to enclose one of the monkfish tails (use enough prosciutto to enclose the monkfish securely; you may have a couple of slices left over). Lay the fish in the center and fold the prosciutto up and around it to make a tight roulade. If necessary, secure with butcher’s twine or toothpicks. Repeat with the second tail. Set seam side down on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Place a piastra (see page 9) on the grill to preheat.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Set up an ice water bath. Drop the fregola into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain and immediately refresh in the ice bath; when it is cool, drain the fregola extremely well.
In a large bowl, toss the fregola with the pesto and red peppers. Set aside.
Brush each prosciutto-wrapped tail with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place on the piastra and cook for 6 minutes, unmoved. Gently roll each one over 90 degrees and cook for 4 minutes. Repeat twice, for a total cooking time of about 18 minutes; the internal temperature should be about 150°F in the thickest part of the fish. Transfer to a platter and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the tails into ¾-inch slices and arrange nicely on top of the fregola. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with the pine nuts, and serve.
So delicious, with crisp, salty, porky prosciutto enveloping the mild, tender fish. Refrigerating the fish before cooking it helps make its “shirt” of prosciut-to adhere. Nutty, flavorful fregola tossed with pesto adds another dimension.
SWORDFISH
INVOLTINI
SICILIAN-STYLE
SERVES 6
TOMATO SALAD
1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup Gaeta olives (you can pit them, but I don’t)
¼ cup salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
¼ cup currants
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted until golden brown
1½ teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 oranges
1 cup fresh bread crumbs