Fish In Acqua Pazza Recipes

ACQUA PAZZA (FISH IN CRAZY WATER)

Steps:

• Coat the fish with the ground fennel and season liberally with salt. Combine the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a heavy-duty 5- to 6-quart heavy-duty pot set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, sliced fennel, and 1/2 tsp. salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 4 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vermouth, and 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the flavors have blended, 4 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Nestle the fish in a single layer in the broth, cover the pot, and cook until the fish is opaque and just beginning to flake, 5 to 8 minutes. Divide the fish and vegetables among 4 wide shallow bowls, spoon the broth around it, and top with the basil.

ACQUA PAZZA STYLE STEWED WHOLE FISH - TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE AND HISTORY

Steps:

• GARLIC AND TOMATOESFirst, peel and chop the garlic, then cut the cherry tomatoes into halves. Now, sauté the garlic along with the olive oil into a pan big enough to cook the fishes, over medium heat: you want the garlic lightly gold, not brown.At this point, add the tomatoes and sauté a couple of minutes. Then, add 4 cups of cold water and bring slowly to boil. Finally, add salt to taste.
• FISHES IN THE PANNow, place the previously scaled and gutted fishes, into the pan. Then, raise the flame and baste with the white wine. At this point, cover with a lid and cook about 15 minutes flipping the fishes on the halfway: you want the fish still juicy and easily falling from the bone.
• GARNISH AND SERVINGThe Acqua Pazza whole fish can be served bone-in or fillet after cooked. Before serving garnish with minced parsley and black pepper.
• CLEANING THE FISHIf you ask your fish seller to clean and fillet the fish, ask him to save the head and the bones to prepare a tasty fish stock!In case you prefer to fillet the fishes at home, consider that the first time this step is not particularly easy. First scale the skin, then open the belly and discard any guts. Finally, fillet the fish following the bones, rinse and place them between two ceramic plates, and store in the fridge.
• FISH STOCKNow, let's prepare the fish stock! First, chop two cups of cherry tomatoes, peel and crush the garlic, then peel and chop the shallots.After that, place the fishes bones and heads into a 3 qt pot, along with 2 tbsp of olive oil. At this point, sauté the bones a couple of minutes over high heat, then baste with the white wine. Let the alcoholic part of the wine evaporate a couple of minutes, then add the sprigs of parsley, the cherry tomatoes, the shallots, the garlic, and the whole black pepper. At this point, add ice cubes and cold water in order to submerge all the ingredients completely. Bring slowly to boil, then simmer gently 15 minutes. Finally, filter the liquid, salt to taste, and discard the bones and the other ingredients.
• SAUTEEING AND STEWINGFirst, bring to boil the fish stock.Now, reduce the rest of the cherry tomatoes into halves. Then, sauté the tomatoes 5 minutes along with 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil in a pan big enough to cook the fillets of fish.At this point, sauté the fillets starting from the skin side. When the border of the fillets starts to become white, flip the fish, add 5 cups of boiling fish stock, and cover with a lid, placing the pan far from the heat. After 5 minutes, check the fish: you want it juicy and well done.
• GARNISH AND SERVINGPlace each fillet of fish into a bowl along with some cherry tomatoes and 1 cup of cooking liquid. Garnish with a sprinkle of black pepper and minced parsley, and serve immediately!

PESCE ALL'ACQUA PAZZA (FISH IN CRAZY WATER)

Steps:

• In a large skillet with high sides, combine the olive oil, garlic, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes. Set over medium-low and cook, swirling occasionally, until sizzling and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add 2 1/2 cups water, the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons salt to the skillet. Bring to a boil over high, then cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes are softened and the water is bright red and tastes like tomato, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Pat the fish dry and season with salt. Lay the fish into the tomato water, cover and cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, 4 to 8 minutes.
• Taste the water and adjust seasonings with salt and red-pepper flakes. If the liquid has reduced so much that it resembles sauce, add a little water until it looks like tomatoes suspended in red-tinted water. Serve the fish and tomato water in shallow bowls, with a drizzle of olive oil and bread for dunking.

FISH IN "ACQUA PAZZA"

Steps:

• Arrange snapper fillets in single layer in large nonstick skillet. Add 1/3 cup water. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil over. Sprinkle with capers. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until fish is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer fish to platter. Boil sauce in skillet until thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon sauce over fish and sprinkle with parsley.

"ACQUA PAZZA" WITH SEA BASS AND CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a saute pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the onions and garlic until soft and glossy, just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes, cayenne and saffron, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the clams, mussels and white wine. Cover and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Uncover and remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Reserve.
• In another saute pan, over high heat, add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Saute eggplant slices until lightly browned. Add green and yellow zucchini. Cook another 1 minute, just until heated. Add 1 tablespoon of chiffonade of basil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Reserve.
• Season sea bass fillets with salt and pepper. In another saute pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sear fillets, meat next to the bone side down first, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and continue to cook another 4 minutes. Transfer to burner, turn fillets. Add butter and baste.
• To serve: spoon 1/4 of the tomato sauce on plate. Place 1/4 of the Sauteed vegetable slices in the center and top with a piece of sea bass. Garnish with diced bell pepper and remaining chiffonade of basil. Drizzle Basil Oil around edge of tomato sauce.
• In boiling salted water, blanch basil leaves for 2 seconds. Refresh in bowl of iced water and drain well. Place on baking tray lined with paper towel and let dry for 1 hour. Pour oil in a blender. Turn machine on to puree and slowly add the blanched basil. Continue to process until pureed and well blended. Transfer to a squirt bottle and allow to steep for a few hours. Use as needed.

SEA BREAM IN CRAZY WATER (ORATA ALL'ACQUA PAZZA)

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a large, lidded frying pan. Carefully slip the fish into the sizzling oil and cook for 4-5 mins until starting to brown. Flip over and scatter the garlic around the fish. Sizzle for 1 min more, then add the chilli and scatter over the tomatoes. Pour over the wine and let it bubble for 1 min, then pour over 100ml water and season generously with sea salt and pepper.
• Put on the lid, turn up the heat and simmer for 15 mins until the fish is cooked through - you can tell when the eyes turn bright white and the flesh feels softer.
• Lift each fish out the pan onto a serving plate and put the pan back on the heat. Add the capers and parsley, and boil hard for 1 min. You can now serve the fish and the sauce separately or slip them back into the pan, spoon some of the sauce over and bring the pan to the table. Drizzle with a little more oil just before serving.