Category: Sicilian Seafood Cooking

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD, current information and recipes

Sustainable Seafood Choices: Making the Right Decisions, Christmas 2024.

For many people who live in Australia seafood is a staple during the Christmas  and New Year period. This may come as a suprise but, with over 6 million kilograms of prawns consumed each year during this time, it’s important to be mindful of the environmental impact of our choices.

It also a good idea to check labels for fish, for example I only buy Australian seafood and there are many reasons to buy Australian seafood – sustainability, environmental impact and quality. Australian seafood producers often have  sustainability certifications from the Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council. 

Whether it’s prawns, oysters, or a beautiful whole fish, for most Australians it appears that the Christmas and New Year’s festive season wouldn’t feel the same without some seafood.

Not only Italians, but people of different cultures who have a Catholic background abstain from eating meat on Christmas Eve, and fish is a preferred choice.

In recent years, it has been beneficial to see information via the media guiding shoppers to make more informed, sustainable seafood choices. This is crucial not only to protect marine species, but also to ensure that we’re supporting seafood industries that are committed to the health of our oceans.

Here’s a summary of some important information and guidance from what i have read and heard on sustainable seafood in the last few weeks. Hopefully it  may help us make the right choices this holiday season. I have also included some seafood recipes at the end of this post.

The Environmental Impact of Seafood Consumption

As the demand for seafood grows, so do the pressures on our oceans and marine life, with issues like bycatch, pollution, and unsustainable farming practices becoming more widespread.

Australia’s appetite for seafood during the Christmas season has a significant environmental cost. For instance, the production of prawns can lead to habitat destruction, pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices, all of which harm marine ecosystems. Bycatch – the capture of non-target species – is a major concern, and certain farming practices, particularly for prawns, have been linked to sea bed deforestation and high pollution levels.

One of the most reliable resources for navigating the complexities of sustainable seafood is the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s GoodFish Guide, which provides helpful advice on what to buy, and what to avoid, based on the sustainability of fishing methods and farm practices.

Just like the tureen above making the right choice can be confusing, What may be sustainable in one country, state or location, will not be sustainable in another. And also, what was sustainable last year may not be on the good choice list this year. And while we are discussing changes, I have been promoting wild caught fish for many years but now, I am not so sure about making generalisations! It all depends on the fishery. (Unfortunately, I cannot remember what Art Gallery in NY this photo was from.)

Unsustainable Choices to Avoid

Some popular seafood items are unfortunately not as environmentally friendly as  promoted. This year I have been hearing strong criticism about Tasmanian salmon. Mind you, many of us already knew this, but lately the views expressed in the media have been particularly damming.

The GoodFish Guide advises against purchasing farm-raised Tasmanian salmon that has been linked to high pollution levels in the waters where it’s farmed depriving other fish of oxygen.Tasmania’s salmon farming industry has been controversial due to environmental damage, animal welfare concerns, and a lack of regulation. Salmon farming has led to dead zones in Macquarie Harbour due to low oxygen levels, and has impacted the Macquarie Harbour Wilderness World Heritage Area.

There are warnings about the potential extinction of the Maugean skate, a rare species found only in Tasmania,

There are between 40 and 120 adult Maugean skate left on the planet, and the federal government’s threatened species committee said in August 2024 the best way to save the endangered fish was to eliminate or at least dramatically cut back on salmon farming in its habitat.
The committee said there was a ‘significant correlation’ between low oxygen levels and an increase in salmon farming. Farmed fish suck up a lot of the oxygen in the water, while fish food and faeces that enter the water via the salmon pens feed oxygen-consuming bacteria causing extreme degradation of marine ecosystems surrounding these farms.
Another seafood to avoid is imported vannamei prawns (also known as white leg shrimp), commonly sourced from countries like Vietnam. These prawns are often farmed in ways that cause significant environmental damage, including water pollution and the destruction of mangroves. Furthermore, prawn farming in these regions is notorious for its high use of antibiotics and chemicals, which can harm local biodiversity and contaminate waterways.

Sustainable Alternatives for Christmas Seafood

But there are plenty of sustainable seafood options available that won’t compromise the environmental values or budget.

One great alternative offered is Australian salmon, which is native to the region and is typically caught using low-impact, sustainable methods. Unlike farmed Tasmanian salmon, wild-caught Australian salmon has a much smaller environmental footprint and provides a local, sustainable option for your Christmas feast. I have included some notes and a recipe about this fish towards the end of this post.

Farm-raised Australian prawns – especially varieties like black tiger and banana prawns – are an excellent sustainable option. These prawns are farmed in environmentally controlled systems with a much lower impact than their imported counterparts. They are often cheaper than wild-caught prawns because of lower labor costs and can be just as tasty. Additionally, some of Australia’s Spencer Gulf prawns are both affordable and sustainable, making them an excellent choice for a Christmas seafood platter.

Another more sustainable option is farm-raised barramundi. While wild-caught barramundi, particularly those caught using destructive gillnets, is often considered harmful to marine life, farmed barramundi has a far less damaging environmental impact. The Australian barramundi farming industry is highly regulated, ensuring that practices meet high environmental and animal welfare standards.

Wild-Caught vs. Farmed: Navigating the Choices

In the face of these sustainability challenges, it’s also important to consider the difference between wild-caught and farmed seafood. Both have their pros and cons. Wild-caught fish can suffer from overfishing and bycatch, especially when fisheries are poorly managed. However, Australian fisheries are typically subject to strict regulations, which means that wild-caught Australian species like prawns, barramundi, and rock lobster are generally more sustainable than wild-caught seafood from other regions.

Farmed seafood, on the other hand, can be more environmentally friendly if the farming practices are responsible. In fact, well-managed fish farms can actually have a smaller carbon footprint and less environmental impact than some forms of wild-caught fishing. It’s key to check where and how the seafood is farmed. Sustainable farms use environmentally responsible practices such as efficient feed management, waste control, and low-impact farming systems.

Sustainable Seafood: Affordable Options for Every Budget

Sustainable seafood can sometimes be more expensive, but there are affordable options available. For example, Australian salmon and farmed prawns are not only eco-friendly choices but are also budget-friendly compared to some of their imported or wild-caught alternatives. By opting for these, we can support local industries and make a real difference in the health of our oceans.

This Christmas, consider making a conscious decision to choose sustainable options. Not only will you be making a positive impact on the environment, but you’ll also be supporting Australia’s local fishing and farming communities, ensuring that these industries remain viable for future generations.

In summary, being an informed seafood consumer doesn’t have to be difficult. By using resources like the GoodFish guide and prioritising sustainable Australian seafood, we can all enjoy delicious meals that are kind to the planet.

From Australian salmon and farmed prawns to sustainably farmed barramundi, there are plenty of options that are both eco-friendly and affordable. It’s about making smarter choices, so that we can continue to enjoy the bounty of the ocean – without compromising its future.

Recipes

Not all sustainable seafood is mentioned in what I have read or listened to. For example squid, mussels and sardines have always been on the better choice list. Explore the options:

GoodFish Guide

There are many recipes for Mussels, Squid and Sardines on my blog, far too many to list here. Here are just a few.

MUSSELS, three ways: in brodetto, with spaghetti and in a risotto with saffron

NDUJA, SQUID, VONGOLE AND PAN GRATTATO with Spaghetti

GRILLED CALAMARI (CALAMARI ‘NTA BRACI (Sicilian) – CALAMARI ALLA BRACE (Italian)

SARDINES, grilled or barbecued with Sicilian dressings

There are far too many recipes for seafood on my blog (pasta, rice, raw, cooked in various ways), but this link could be helpful:

LA VIGILIA (Christmas Eve revisited)

This year, Australian salmon seems to feature strongly as a sustainable choice. This fish was abundant in South Australia where I lived for many years and I am used to cooking it. But because it is a strong tasting fish, I would recommend baking it  whole or filleted and using strong flavours like anchovies, garlic and onion.  The flavour of this fish also responds to strong tasting herbs. I would never cook it by steaming or enveloping with foil to bake; it is far too fishy, even for me.

BAKED FISH WITH POTATOES, VINEGAR and ANCHOVIES

Cooking Autralian salmon on a grill on the BBQ will also suit this fish. The charred flavour will mask the fishy taste of the fish and enhance the flavour. Think of sardines on the BBQ and how delicious they are when cooked this way.

Strong tasting sauces will complement the taste of the fish.
And consider using strong tasting herbs and plenty of them, either when cooking  strong tasting fish or for the sauces.

SARDINES, grilled or barbecued with Sicilian dressings

PASTA CON LE SARDE (SARDINES)  (strong flavours – fennel, saffron, currants)

SAUCES for meat, fish and vegetables to brighten up your Christmas

Enjoy cooking, eating, sharing and talking about food!

(TUNA BALLS ) and other tuna recipes

Tuna balls —known as Polpette di Tonno in Italy and Purpetti di Tunnu in Sicily—are a delightful twist on the classic meatball, shaped in a variety of sizes and infused with an array of irresistible flavors of tradition and creativity as with their meaty counterparts. In this case Sicilian flavours.

Below is a photo of tuna and sword fish (on the left) as sold in a fish market in Sicily. Notice the different cuts.

Tuna is widely eaten and appreciated in Sicily and in this post I have aslo included other recipes for Tuna.

They can be fried and eaten plain with a squeeze of lemon juice, poached in a tomato salsa or in an agro dolce sauce.

The photo below was taken by the photographer Graeme Gillies and styled by Fiona Rigg from my cookbook Sicilian Seafood Cooking.

You may think that using tuna for mincing and making into balls is far too extravagant, but Albocore tuna is more sustainable and economical. It is usually sold cut into vertical slices.

Below is another photo of Albacore tuna,  a recipe for tuna studded with various flavours. I often use Mackerel or Hapuka for this recipe.

The photo below was taken by the photographer Graeme Gillies and styled by Fiona Rigg from my cookbook Sicilian Seafood Cooking.

I have often bought Albacore tuna in Adelaide filleted and cut into cutlets. Unfortunately I have never found these excellent cuts of Albacore tuna in Melbourne.

The following recipe is for 6 people

Fish balls in tomato salsa

INGREDIENTS

tuna, 600gr, all skin and sinews removed
breadcrumbs, made from fresh bread, 1 cup
milk, ¼ cup
eggs, 2 lightly beaten
currants, 2 tablespoons
pine nuts, 2 tablespoons
salt and freshly ground black pepper
flour or fine toasted breadcrumbs to coat the fish balls
extra virgin olive oil, 1¼ cup or more
tomatoes, 500g, peeled and chopped (or a can)
parsley, 2 tablespoons
rosemary, ½ teaspoon finely cut
basil, fresh, loose leaves
white wine, 1 cup
garlic cloves, 2
extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup

PROCESSES

Cut tuna into chunks and remove any dark bits of the flesh.
Mince the tuna – pass through meat grinder or use food processor.
Soak fresh breadcrumbs in milk and squeeze dry.

Make fishballs:

Combine, tuna, fresh breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, seasoning and 1 tablespoon of each of the currants and pine nuts.

Form into fish balls and roll each one lightly in flour and shake off any excess.

Heat ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil in a fry pan and using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the balls into the hot oil and cook until they are a light golden brown (about 2 minutes). Do not overcrowd them, it is better to cook them in batches and give them room to fry.

Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on paper towels.

For the tomato salsa:

Heat, ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil in a separate pan. It needs to be large enough to accommodate the polpette as well as the salsa.

Add the garlic and cook until it is lightly golden.

Place the tomatoes, rosemary, the rest of the currants and pine nuts and seasoning into the pan.

Include the polpette and braise for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the white wine and fresh basil leaves (if in season) and leave uncovered till the sauce is thick and the polpette are cooked.

Serve hot.

Fish balls in agro dolce

Instead of using pine nuts and currants in the mixture, you could select to add some grated lemon peel, a little cinnamon and some chopped spring onions or mint.

Fry the fish balls I some oil, drain the access oil and return the purpetti to the fry pan. Add  a couple of fresh bay leaves, two tablespoons of sugar, ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of white wine. Heat, allow the liquid to evaporate.  Add ½ cup of water, swirl around it in the pan to deglaze all of those good flavours and serve.

I have made many fishballs of various sized and many times using different types of fish.

FISH BALLS IN SALSA – POLPETTE DI PESCE (PURPETTI in Sicilian)

FISH BALLS with Sicilian flavours

FISH STUDDED WITH SICILIAN FLAVOURS

TONNO AL AGRO DOLCE; Sweet and sour tuna, Sicilian; ALBACORE TUNA

HAPUKA(fish)WITH SICILIAN FLAVOURS

TUNNU `A STIMPIRATA; TONNO ALLA STEMPERATA (Tuna with onions, vinegar, capers and green olives)

TONNO E PISELLI (Tuna and peas)

TONNO (Tuna, albacore)

 

LA VIGILIA (Christmas Eve revisited)

I prefer the Christmas celebration to be on Christmas Eve, it is called La Vigilia (the Vigil) in Italian.

In Sicily, as in many parts of Italy, the Christmas Eve celebration is deeply rooted in Catholicism and tradition, of fasting and abstaining from meat. One of the most cherished customs is sharing a festive meal with family and friends on La Vigilia. This meal features fish, and/ or vegetarian content.

IMG_3148

I originally wrote this post on December 20, 2012, to share the types of Sicilian fish dishes I might cook here in Australia on Christmas Eve (or during the festive period).

The traditions and recipes are just as relevant today and I still cook them, so I’m bringing it back to the spotlight for another festive season!

CHRISTMAS RECIPES with a Sicilian theme and “Feast of the Seven Fishes.”

The photos below are from Fish Markets in Sicily – Catania, Syracuse and Palermo.  Three of these photos were included in my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking (Published 2011).

Below are some excellent photographs of the food I cooked in my very small kitchen. The credit goes to the New Holland photographer, Graeme Gillies, and the food stylist Fiona Rigg – their team work and attention to detail is obvious when you look at the photos of the food.

The link below includes many Sicilian recipes of fish. See recipes for:

TONNO CUNZATO – Raw Marinated Tuna

RAVIOLI DI RICOTTA CU NIURU DI SICCI – Ricotta Ravioli With Black Ink Sauce

RISO CON GLI ANGELI – Rice with angels

SPAGHETTI CON L ’ARAGOSTA – Spaghetti with crayfish

CALAMARETTI RIPIENI CON MARSALA E MANDORLE – Stuffed calamari with fresh cheese, almonds and nutmeg braised in marsala

PESCE INFORNATO CON PATATE – Baked fish with potatoes, vinegar and anchovies

A SEAFOOD CHRISTMAS Feast with Fran Kelly; RADIO NATIONAL BREAKFAST PROGRAMME

 

PARMIGIANA, uncomplicated

When I first came to Australia with my parents (1956), eggplants (aubergines/ melanzane in Italian) were non-existent commercially in Adelaide and probably in the rest of Australia.  I remember friends moving to Canberra in the 80’s and they had to order eggplants from the Sydney markets.

Like so many vegetables that were unfamiliar in Australia, it took a few seed smugglers some time before eggplants were grown in home gardens, and even more years before they were found in produce markets and green grocers’ shops.

Now of course, there are many types of seeds that have been imported legally into Australia and sold in many Italian produce stores.

There are Asian varieties of eggplants as well as the Mediterranean ones in Australia. Trade and migration has made eggplants a typical Mediterranean plant, but they originated from the south-east Asia and in particular from India and China.

Eggplants come in different shapes and sizes – long, thin, wide, round, small and large and they cam be grown commercially as well as successfully in most home gardens . (The eggplant above is grown in my son’s home garden in Adelaide).

The colour of eggplants range from the traditional dark purple types through to violet, lavender, pink, green and creamy-white varieties. There are also variegated types.

When I think of eggplants, I think of Sicily where the most intense cultivation takes place in Italy.

Sicily has the highest numbers of eggplants in terms of cultivation and production; they are available at all times of the year because they can be grown in serre (greenhouses) in all seasons especially in the Ragusa area, where my father’s relatives are based.

And Sicily is where some of the most famous recipes for Italian eggplant dishes initiated, for example:  Eggplant Caponata from Palermo, Pasta alla Norma from Catania and Parmigiana di Melazane (Eggplant Parmigiana) with some slight variations from all over Sicily.

Parmigiana is now one of the best-known and widespread dishes of Italian cuisine but its origin is disputed between the regions of Sicily, Campania and Emilia-Romagna. However I have always believed Parmigiana to be Sicilian. Since I was a young child I have eaten many servings of Parmigiana cooked by family and friends, in homes and in restaurants all over Sicily and I support the theory that it is a Sicilian specialty.

Parmigiana is what I am going to write about in this post.

Recently a friend (and an excellent home cook) prepared Yotem Ottolenghi’s Aubergine Dumplings Alla Parmigiana, from the book Flavor. It was a marvellous dinner and I enjoyed eating these vegetarian meatballs very much.

The ingredients for Ottolenghi’s recipe are cubed eggplants, roasted till soft and caramelized, then mashed and mixed with herbs and spices, ricotta, Parmesan, basil, bound with eggs, breadcrumbs and flour. While the mixture rests, a tomato salsa needs to be made, the dumplings are fried and then baked in the tomato salsa.

When I looked at Ottolenghi’s recipe, I was amazed at just how many steps have to be covered compared with the time it would take to cook the traditional Parmigiana. A few days later a friend came to dinner and I made a simple Parmigiana.

I baked the eggplants this time rather than fried them..

Made the tomato salsa.

Proceeded to layer the salsa, eggplants, grated cheese and because the Ottoleghi recipe had ricotta, and because ricotta seems to have become an addition to the traditional Parmigiana recipe all over the web, I also added ricotta between the layers.

What it looked like before I placed it in the oven.

And I presented the Parmigiana with roast peppers and a green salad.

I don’t know how long my version took, but it tasted good.

Parmigiana can also be made with fried zucchini.

Parmigiana can also be made with fried zucchini. It is worth cooking it.

**** I  first wrote a post on my blog in 2009 about how the name of the recipe originated and recipe of a traditional Parmigiana. The recipe is also in my book Sicilian Seafood Cooking.  The background information about Parmigiana is  fascinating. The post is worth reading:

EGGPLANT or ZUCCHINI PARMIGIANA

PASTA CON LE SARDE (SARDINES)

Pasta Con Le Sarde (sardines) can only be a Sicilian dish.

Sardines are plentiful, so is the wild fennel (it is seasonal), and most Sicilians eat pasta in some form, every day.

The flavours and ingredients of pine nuts, saffron and currants are said to have been introduced by the Arabs.

Breadcrumbs toasted in a fry pan with a little bit of olive oil are popular in Sicily as a topping or dressing – called muddica/ mollica/pan grattato, it is sprinkled on pasta instead of grated cheese, and some vegetable dishes like Parmigiana di Melanzane (eggplants), Caponata, fried peppers (Peperonata), and Sfincione (a type of regional pizza) .

And I make Pasta Con Le Sarde when I know I can impress friends, those who appreciate being impressed.

Accept that not everyone likes sardines or fancy the idea of wild fennel. The photo below shows how some bunches of wild fennel are sold in Sicilian markets.

Over the years I don’t just toast the breadcrumbs in the frypan (made bread that’s several days old); I  also add a little cinnamon, a tiny bit of sugar and grated lemon peel. The lemon flavour really makes this pasta topping even more special. Sometimes I also add pine nuts to the pan.

Bucatini is the pasta I prefer – it’s slightly larger than spaghetti, long and hollow, like a tube.

But last time I made Pasta Con Le Sarde, I did use spaghetti. You can see how many pine nuts I sprinkled on top before folding them into the pasta. In a traditional dish there would be fewer.

Most of the time my Pasta Con Le Sarde looks like pretty ordinary, but still tastes magnificent. Sometimes I also add chopped, roasted almonds. Looking at this photo below can see that not all the almonds were chopped!

It is sometimes difficult to find wild fennel that is healthy looking or in season, so  sometimes I do add a fresh fennel bulb.

Below the photo shows fennel and onion sauté-ing (if there is such a word!)

This is followed by the addition of saffron, wild fennel and currants.

If I can get sufficient wild fennel I use it in the boiling water to flavour the pasta. The stalks from fresh fennel also work. Simply cook the stalks or wild fennel in the water and remove them before adding the pasta to cook.

Although Sardines are easy to clean, sardines are also sold as fillets.

I have written about Pasta Con Le Sarde before.

PASTA CON LE SARDE, Iconic Sicilian made easy

PASTA CON LE SARDE, an iconic Sicilian recipe from Palermo. Cooked at Slow Food Festival Melbourne

PASTA CON SARDE; the baked version, Palermo, Sicily

WILD FENNEL and photos

PASTA WITH BREADCRUMBS, anchovies and fennel (Pasta cca muddica)

From my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking.

BAKED FISH WITH POTATOES, VINEGAR and ANCHOVIES

It is the season to begin thinking about fish and how to cook it to make it special.

Baked Fish With Potatoes, Vinegar And Anchovies Sicilian – Pisci o furno chi patati  is a recipe from my book Sicilian Seafood Cooking (now out of print), and it is so simple to cook that I could do it with my eyes closed.

The fish is a locally caught sustainable Snapper. You can see that I make slits in the fish’s sides and in the slits I insert a couple of anchovies. If you don’t like anchovies use fresh herbs; good for this fish are wild fennel, thyme, rosemary or tarragon.

I made the marinade and marinaded the fish in your baking tray for an hour before cooking.

In the marinade you can see that I have used consists of chopped parsley, quite a bit of onion and grated lemon peel. The liquid is: extra virgin olive oil, some wine vinegar and some lemon juice. Add a bit of salt and pepper also. I have included some quantities in the recipe below, but really, the fun of cooking is also experimenting.

Mix up the marinade and let the fish steep in it for about an hour. Turn it over a few times before you bake it. You can bake potatoes with it if you wish and the potatoes take on that lemon flavour that often Greek baked potatoes have when baked with lemon (usually cooked with chicken). The Greeks did settle in Sicily after all!

I usually part-cook my potatoes and put them in to bake with the fish about 15mins before I think the fish is ready. Raw slices of potatoes are used in the recipe and these will require longer cooking time, but do whatever you think is more practical for you.

 

PESCE INFORNATO CON PATATE/ Sicilian – Pisci o furno chi patati
Baked fish with potatoes (and vinegar and anchovies)
Ingredients
1–1.5kg (2lb 4oz–3lb 5oz) whole fish
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 onions, finely chopped a small bunch parsley, finely chopped
250g (9oz) potatoes, thinly sliced or par-boiled potatoes in chunks
3–6 anchovies, finely chopped (see above)
juice of 2 lemons, plus grated zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Suitable fish
Any whole fish or large, thick fillets of medium to firm fish, preferably with the skin on. The fish is cooked whole, filleted and portioned at the table.
Method
If using whole fish or fillets with skin, make a series of slashes in the skin. Mix
the oil with the vinegar, onions and parsley. Add seasoning and marinate the
fish for about an hour, turning frequently.
Place the fish in an ovenproof dish, spoon half of the marinade over it and bake for 10 minutes in a 200°C (400°F) oven. Arrange the sliced potatoes around the fish. Sprinkle the potatoes and the fish with more marinade, the anchovies, lemon juice and grated zest. Bake for another 20–35 minutes, depending on the type of fish. Serve hot.
To see if the fish is cooked to your liking, you can test  the fish with a fork held at an angle. Insert it at the thickest point of the fish and twist the fork. it should flake easily.
Variation
Place rosemary and bay leaves underneath the fish in the baking pan.
See:
There is a photo in this post where I used red onion and it can look quite spectacular.

HOW ONE FISH RECIPE CAN EVOLVE INTO A DIFFERENT DISH

Somehow, I ended up eating fish for most of the week, and part of the first recipe lead into the second, and part of the second led into the third, but each dish was unique.

Of course there were also left overs.

I made Baccalà Mantecato on the weekend. The baccalà has to be soaked for a couple of days before it is poached in milk with some bay leaves and a clove of garlic. It is a dish that comes from the Veneto region and is also particularly popular in Trieste (Friuli Venezia Giulia).

Cooking the garlic in milk softens the taste and once blended with the baccalà and extra virgin olive oil, the taste of the garlic is less aggressive.

I always save the poaching liquid whether I poach the baccalà in milk or in water, and I did this a couple of days later when I made Baccalà Mantecato for a friend who is allegic to diary.

I cooked fish again. I bought some fish cutlets, slices cut horizontally, each steak usually has four distinct fleshy segments and each segment can be studded with a different flavour. Below is a photo of what I expect when I buy this cut of fish that I use regularly. I have included a link to a full recipe at the end of this post.

The photo below shows the four distinct segments of fish that surround the central spine, each receptive to a different flavour. It looks like on that occasion I studded the segments with cloves, oregano, fennel and garlic. At other times I have used sage, cinnamon, dill, thyme, rosemary or tarragon. The flavours I use for the stuffing will also determine what use to deglaze the pan after I have sauteed the fish, for example on various occasions I have used dry marsala (especially for Sicilian cooking), vermouth, Pernod and a variety of white wines that impart different flavours to the fish. Lemon juice or vinegar is also good.

When I opened the parcel and was ready to stud my fish, I noticed that only one slice was as I expected (cut from the tail end of the fish), but the other slices included what I call ‘flaps’, the often long and bony sides of fish encasing the gut of the fish.

It is part of the fish’s anatomy, but what I objected to was that the slices in the display cabinet were all the same size. These slices were not at all suitable for inserting with four different flavours; they were also difficult to fit into the frypan comfortably.

I cut the flaps off and only used two flavours to stud into the flesh of the fish – garlic and thyme.

I pan fried the fish, added some herbs – fresh fennel fronds and parsley. I deglazed the pan with a splash of white wine, evaporated it, added a little of the stock from the baccalà, added some capers.

What to do with the flaps?

The next day I poached the flaps in water flavoured with some onion, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, a little celery. This gave me some extra fish stock as well as an opportunity to remove the flesh and discard the skin and bones. I discarded the greenery.

I had the makings of a fish risotto.

Making a risotto is easy. I decided to add peas, frozen at this time of year and herbs of course, as in all of my cooking.

I softened one chopped onion in butter and extra virgin olive oil, added 1 cup of rice to the pan and toasted the rice. A splash of white wine, evaporated it, added 1 cup of peas and some chopped parsley and fennel. Tossed them all in the hot pan, added a little salt and then proceeded to add the milk stock from the baccalà and the stock used to poach the flaps of the fish to cook the risotto.

I added the fish pieces to the risotto when it was nearly cooked (to warm it), the grated rind and juice of a lemon and at the very end some butter and black pepper.

There was enough for lunch the next day and the evolving fish meals stopped there!

FISH STUDDED WITH SICILIAN FLAVOURS

BACCALÀ MANTECATO (Creamed salt cod, popular in the Veneto region and Trieste)

New Year’s Eve Baccalà Mantecato

BACCALÀ MANTECATO, risotto

 

PESCE SALATO (Salted Fish in Sicily)and BOTTARGA revisited

Richard Cornish’s first article this year in his Brain Food column is on Bottarga (The Age, January 25 issue, 2022).

What a great start!

He says that we love bottarga because it has the power to enrich and enhance dishes, much the same way as Parmesan cheese  improves pasta and jamon makes everything more delicious.  I always think of anchovies and how widely they are used not just in Sicilian cooking but in Italian cooking  generally an how much they enrich the taste of many dishes.

The bottarga that Richard is writing about is Bottarga di Muggine:  ‘the salted, processed and sun-dried mullet roe that is pale orange to yellow in colour.”

Having roots in Sicily, I am more accustomed with Bottarga di Tonno, made from tuna. In comparison to the mullet roe,  bottarga  from tuna can be darker in colour and more pungent in taste.

I bought this  lump of bottarga (in the photo below) from Enoteca Sileno in Melbourne. Mullet bottarga is easier to find.

In Sicily bottarga has been used for millennia and is only one of many parts of the tuna that is salted.

Many years ago, when bottarga would have been next to impossible to purchase in Australia, I purchased many packets of plastic wrapped bottarga  and various salted parts or the tuna from a vendor in the Market in Syracuse who specialised in salted and dried fish. I brought them back to Australia in my suitcase. I declared them, but because they were sealed securely  I was cleared through customs.

In my book Sicilian Seafood Cooking, I begin the section of the book PESCE SALATO (Salted Fish) by saying:

Salted fish has been greatly valued and an important industry in Sicily. During medieval times the standard Lenten diet was based on pulses and dried salted fish. Still popular in Sicily, salted fish were popular with the ancient Romans. Anchovies, which still flavour many dishes, probably replaced the gurum used widely by ancient Romans.

Gurum was made by crushing and fermenting fish innards. It was very popular during Roman times, an import from the Greeks. It was a seasoning preferred to salt and added to other ingredients like vinegar, wine, oil and pepper to make a condiment used for meat, fish and vegetables – much like the fish sauce used in some Asian cuisines.

Two early cookery books, The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book by Martino of Como and On Right Pleasure and Good Health by Platina, praise the taste and quality of salted tuna (particularly the middle section of tuna called tarantellum or terantello). Salted tuna (sometimes called mosciam in Sicily) was introduced by the Arabs (who called it muscamma) in about the 10th century. It has firm, deep red-brown flesh that needs only paper-thin slicing and is mainly eaten softened in oil with a sprinkling of lemon juice.

Salted tuna is also produced in southern Spain; they refer to it as air-dried tuna or sun-dried tuna and Mojama tuna.

Bottarga (called buttarica or buttarga in Sicilian) are the eggs in the ovary sacs of female tuna. These are pressed into a solid mass, salted and processed. The name bottarga is thought to have evolved from the Arabic buarikh or butarah – raw fish eggs, once made made by dipping the sac in beeswax and leaving it to dry. Making bottarga is a much more complicated process now and is only produced in Favignana. It is grated to flavour dishes, or sliced finely and eaten as an antipasto.

I have eaten bottarga mainly grated over pasta dishes and eggplant caponata, but in Syracuse I enjoyed baked eggplant stuffed with seafood and topped with grated bottarga.

Richard Cornish says :

‘Grated bottarga is sensational over buttered pasta. You need nothing other than a glass of wine to complete the dish. Try it grated over spaghetti with tomatoes and a little chilli, or on hot flatbread drizzled with oil as an aperitivo. Make a delicious salad of finely sliced fennel and radicchio topped with bottarga. Grate bottarga into aioli to make a dressing for a Caesar salad. Make softly scrambled eggs, grate over 50g of bottarga and enjoy on hot buttered sourdough’.

Sounds good and I am looking forward to trying some of these.

I have a post on my blog  for  the recipe:

PASTA CON BOTTARGA ( Pasta with Grated Bottarga)

PASTA ALLA NORMA and a variation (Pasta with tomato salsa and fried eggplants; and currants, anchovies and bottarga) …photo, as eaten on the coast near Agrigento.

ARTICHOKES and how we love them – CAPONATA DI CARCIOFI

‘Artichokes’ is the topic of Richard Cornish’s regular column. (September 21, Brain Food in The Age). His commentary has certainly provided me with an excess  amount of food for thought – artichokes are one of my very favourite vegetables and I have written many recipes for artichokes on my blog.

Artichokes in Acireale Sicily

I have included some recipes in this post and more can be found on my blog.

In Italian artichokes are called carciofi, in Sicilian they are cacocciuli.

As Richard says, artichokes are thought to have originated from Sicily, and therefore Sicilians have had plenty of time to appreciate their versatility and have come up with some excellent recipes for artichokes cooked in many interesting ways. 

This is not to say that the other regions of Italy don’t have their own local recipes for artichokes, but Sicilians seem to have the lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Versitility:

Artichokes in Italy are eaten as appetizers, contorni (sides), first and second courses, and stand-alone dishes.

Artichokes can be stuffed with a wide variety of fillings, fried whole or sliced, and crumbed before being fried, sautéed, boiled, baked, braised and stewed, roasted in ashes, used in frittate (plural of frittata), pasta and risotti (plural of risotto).

When they are young, they are sliced thinly and eaten raw in salads. They are canned commercially and, at the end of plant’s life, the last of the artichokes that will never mature, but will stay small and underdeveloped, are conserved, mostly in olive oil. When they are old, they are stripped of all the leaves and the bases are eaten.

You may be familiar with Cynar, one of the many Italian bitter, alcoholic drinks (of the Amaro variety) and made predominantly with artichokes. Below is some information.

Recipes: 

CARCIOFINI SOTT’ OLIO (Preserved artichokes in oil) 

It is spring in Australia now and the very best time to celebrate artichokes when they can be combined with other spring produce such as broad beans, peas, asparagus and potatoes.

A couple of recipes in my blog make a special feature of spring flavours:

A QUICK PASTA DISH for Spring: asparagus, artichokes, peas

CARCIOFI IMBOTTITI (Stuffed artichokes)

ASPARAGUS and ARTICHOKES PASTA ALLA FAVORITA (Pasta with artichokes, broad beans, peas alla favorita)

FRITTEDDA (A sauté of spring vegetables)

Different varieties of artichokes are also available in autumn, but somehow pairing them with spring seasonal produce, deserves extra applause.

CARCIOFI (Artichokes and how to clean them and prepare them for cooking) 

Cynarin

In his Brain Food column about artichokes Richard says that artichokes contain a compound called cynarin which inhibits your tongue’s ability to detect sweetness. You don’t notice it until you have a bite or a drink of something else: the cynarin gets washed off the tongue, and suddenly, your brain tells you that what you have in your mouth is sweet, even when it is not!

Hence Cynar, one of the many Italian bitter alcoholic drinks (of the amaro variety) and made predominantly with artichokes. Cynar is classed as a digestive and it is said to have stomach-soothing qualities and cleansing and restorative properties for the liver. It can be drunk as an apéritif or after dinner drink.

BITTER GREENS and AMARI (Aperitivi and Digestivi)

Richard mentions how Richard Purdue, executive chef at Margaret in Sydney’s Double Bay, beams when the word artichoke is mentioned. ‘‘One of my favourite dishes is one I picked up in Sicily, where the artichokes are cooked in a kind of caponata – tomatoes, celery, pine nuts, currants, red wine and sugar.’’ So to finish off here is a recipe adapted from my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking for a caponata made with artichokes.

In recipe in my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking, I suggest using 9 -10 artichokes and it is intended for 6 -8 people.

Caponata di Carciofi (Artichoke Caponata) can only be made with young artichokes. It is also worth noting that you will need to remove the outer leaves and only use the tender centre, therefore reducing the amount of artichokes significantly.

CAPUNATA DI CARCIOFFULI – Caponata Di Carciofi  (Artichoke caponata)

Sauté each of the vegetable ingredients separately as is the traditional method of making caponata (as in a well-made, French dish Ratatouille). Frying the vegetables together does save time, but the colours and the flavours will not be as distinct. However, I have provided this method as a variation (see bottom of this recipe).

Remove the outer, tougher leaves of the artichokes by bending them back and snapping them off the base until you come to the softer, paler leaves.

  • Prepare artichokes for sautéing. The artichokes need to be sliced thinly and vertically into bite size pieces. Keep them in acidulated water as you work. The cleaned stalk is one of my favourite parts of the artichoke and will add flavour to the caponata. Trim the stalk with a small sharp knife to pull away the tough, stringy outer skin (just like the strings of celery) and leave the stem attached to the artichoke. This will expose the light-coloured, centre portion, which is very flavourful and tender and much appreciated by Italians.
  • Drain the artichokes from the acidulated water and squeeze dry (I use a clean tea towel).
  • Select a large, shallow, saucepan to sauté the artichokes. They should not be crowded and if you do not have a large enough pan, sauté them in batches – you want to create as little liquid as possible.
  • Place some of the extra virgin olive oil in the pan and sauté the artichokes on low heat until they are tender. This may take up to 10 minutes or more depending on the freshness and age of the artichokes (add a little water or white wine if the ingredients are drying out).
  • Remove the artichokes and set aside.
  • Add a little more, extra virgin olive oil to the pan (and/or you may be able to drain some from the sautéed artichokes) and sauté the other vegetables in the same pan, separately. Proceed as follows:
  • Sauté the onion until it begins to colour, remove from the pan and add to the artichokes.
  • Add a little more extra virgin olive oil and sauté the celery.
  • Add the olives, capers, salt and tomatoes to the celery. Simmer gently for about 5-7 minutes. Add a little water if needed (this mixture should have the consistency of a thick sauce.)
  • Remove the mixture from the pan and add it to the sautéed artichokes and onions.
  • To make the agro dolce (sweet sour) sauce:
  • Add the sugar to the pan and caramelise the sugar by stirring it until it melts and begins to turn a honey colour.
  • Add the vinegar and swirl it around to collect the flavours of the sautéed vegetables and evaporate it (2-3 minutes).
  • Place all of the sautéed vegetables and artichokes into the pan with the agro dolce sauce and gently toss the ingredients, as you would do a salad.
  • Simmer on very gentle heat to amalgamate the flavours for about 3-5 minutes.
  • Place caponata into a sealed container or jar and store in the fridge. Leave it to stand at least a day but preferably longer.

Now, for the easier cheat’s version:

  • To make caponata, where the ingredients are not fried separately, proceed as follows:
  • Prepare and sauté the artichokes as in the proceeding recipe.
  • Add a little more extra virgin olive oil and heat it. Add the onion and the celery and sauté until they begin to colour.
  • Add the olives, capers, sugar, salt, vinegar and tomatoes. Cover and simmer gently until tender (5-10 minutes or more depending on the freshness and age of the artichokes).

PASTA RIMESTATA COI CAVOFIORI – Pasta with cauliflower, sultanas, pine nuts and anchovies

Pasta with cauliflower, sultanas or currants, pine nuts, anchovies and saffron is a Sicilian specialty with flavours that are unique to Sicily.  The recipe for this pasta dish is from my book, Sicilian Seafood Cooking (now out of print).

In the Sicilian  language the recipe is called : Pasta chi brocculi arriminata. In Italian = Pasta rimestata coi cavolfiori.

Rimestata, seems like a fancy word, but it just means stirred. 

In English, I have described this as Pasta with cauliflower, sultanas/currants, pine nuts and anchovies. 

In Italian the word for cauliflower is cavolfiore. Just to be different, the Sicilian name for cauliflower is brocculi.  

In Sicily coloured cauliflowers are the most common (unfortunately most of the colour fades when they are cooked). As well as the familiar white or cheddar (pale yellow) varieties, there are beautiful purple ones (cavolfiore viola in Italian) that range in colour from pink through violet to dark purple. A friend  in Australia is growing a variety called purple cape cauliflower and one that is light green and pink called cavolfiore romanesco precoce. 

There are also the bright, pale green ones and a sculpted, pointy pale green variety called Roman cauliflower; I have seen these in Rome and throughout Tuscany.

Every time I cook this pasta dish, there is great applause from guests.

Over time recipes evolve and each time I make it I  may vary it slightly, mainly by increasing the amounts of some of the ingredients, for example: I tend to use more bayleaves, pine nuts, anchovies (for people who like them and remove them for those who do not).

I also like to add some fresh fennel (at the same time as I place the cauliflower into the pan) and a little stock and sometimes white wine.

I present the pasta with both pecorino cheese and fried breadcrumbs. Sometimes I add cubes of feta or ricotta whipped with a little pepper. Feta is Greek, but I like it as it adds creaminess to the dish.

The ingredients and the method of cooking the pasta with cauliflower below is how the recipe appears in the book. The recommended  amount of pasta is 100g per person. In our household this is far too much and 500g of pasta is OK as first course for 6-8 people. As with all recipes I hope that you  vary it to suit your tastes. 

500g dry, short pasta

2 tablespoons sultanas or currants 

1 medium cauliflower

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4–5 anchovies, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 small teaspoon saffron soaked in a little warm water

grated pecorino and/ or toasted breadcrumbs

salt and crushed dried chillies (optional) to taste

Soak the sultanas or currants in a cup of warm water. To prepare the cauliflower, remove the outer green leaves and break the cauliflower into small florets.

In a frying pan large enough to accommodate all the ingredients, saute the chopped onion in the olive oil. Add the anchovies and let them melt in the oil, stirring with a wooden spoon. Then add the cauliflower florets, bay leaves and the fennel seeds. Stir gently over the heat to colour and coat the vegetable with oil.

Add the pine nuts, the saffron (and water) and the sultanas or currants with the soaking water, salt and crushed chillies.

At this stage I add a splash of white wine and a little stock. Cover, and allow to cook gently for about 20 minutes, until the florets are soft.

Cook the pasta. Drain and toss with the cauliflower sauce. Coat the pasta evenly and allow to absorb the flavours for about 5 minutes. Serve with toasted breadcrumbs or grated pecorino cheese.

The breadcrumbs add texture and flavour.  Over time, instead of tossing coarse breadcrumbs, (100 grams made with day old, quality bread  – sourdough/pasta dura) lightly fried in some extra virgin olive oil, I also add grated lemon peel, a little cinnamon and sugar to the breadcrumbs while they are being toasted.

Below: Breadcrumbs served separately.

For another iconic Sicilian Pasta dish with similar flavours see:

PASTA CON LE SARDE (SARDINES)

PASTA CON SARDE; the baked version, Palermo, Sicily