Fish is extremely quick and easy to cook and really doesn’t need too many ingredients or fancy ways of cooking. For me, the best fish is simply grilled or steamed and served with a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. This is how most Italians enjoy fish, and as long as the fish is fresh, you can’t go wrong.
I was lucky to have been born by the sea, where fresh fish was readily available, so it was not uncommon for us to eat it quite a few times a week. As we knew most of the fishermen in the area, I was often allowed to go with them and help out and, in return, they would give me local seafood to take home.
I love the markets in Italy with their fabulous displays of fresh fish. Whenever I’m home, I make sure I buy fresh anchovies and make acciughe alla tortiera, a very simple baked dish. I also preserve fresh anchovies in salt so that I can bring them home to England, to enjoy the taste of the sea all year round.
Fish is highly nutritious, low in fat and an excellent source of quality protein, vitamins and minerals. Scientific evidence suggests that eating fish a couple of times a week helps preserve mental agility and aids longevity. I remember my mother would make me eat fish eyes, which, when cooked, became little white, hard balls full of phosphorus. She said it was a nutrient that helped develop intelligence!
It’s sad that a lot of fishmongers on the high street have closed in recent times. However, fish counters in supermarkets are now becoming increasingly adventurous, with monkfish, skate wings, gurnard, squid, fresh tuna, and more, making regular appearances alongside salmon and cod.
This is a perfect meal for a warm summer’s evening. Fresh tuna is almost meat-like in texture, but still incredibly light. Good-quality preserved grilled vegetables are obtainable from your Italian deli counter. The crunch of the red onion perfectly complements this dish.
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
160 g/5¾ oz preserved grilled courgettes (zucchini)
160 g/5¾ oz preserved grilled aubergines (eggplants)
1 small red onion, finely sliced
60 g/2¼ oz rocket (arugula)
120 g/4¼ oz baby plum tomatoes, sliced
12 basil leaves (optional)
450 g/1 lb fresh tuna, cut into chunks
30 g/1 oz/¼ cup pine nuts
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus an extra splash for cooking
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Arrange the preserved vegetables, red onion, rocket, tomatoes and basil leaves, if using, on a large serving dish.
Heat a griddle pan, or place a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tuna chunks and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until seared.
Top the vegetables on the serving platter with the seared tuna, sprinkle with pine nuts, drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with some salt and pepper. Mix together well and serve.
I love mackerel – not only is it a lovely fish, but it’s nutritious and quick to cook. Cooking al cartoccio is an excellent way of keeping all the flavours intact in a healthy way. Serve the cooked mackerel in the foil, so that the delicious juices can be enjoyed with some good bread to mop them up.
Cooking time: 30 minutes (including prep)
Serves 2
2 mackerel (about 240 g/8½ oz each), heads removed (if desired) and cleaned
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 rosemary sprigs
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 organic unwaxed lemons, finely sliced
extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Rinse the mackerel under cold running water, then pat dry well with paper towels. Place the fish on a large piece of parchment paper, which is in turn placed on top of a large piece of good-quality aluminium foil (you can place the fish on individual sheets or all in one package, as here). Place on a baking (oven) tray. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the mackerel, including inside the cavity. Place a rosemary sprig inside each cavity, together with the garlic and half of the lemon slices. Top the mackerel with the remaining lemon slices, drizzle with olive oil, then wrap tightly in the foil and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
To serve, place the whole parcel in the middle of the table and tuck in!
This lovely, delicate fish dish, enhanced by a selection of coloured potatoes and slight tangy onion agrodolce, makes a perfect main course when you’re trying to impress! Chunks of hake are gently cooked with herbs and good extra-virgin olive oil, while a trio of potatoes are baking in the oven. Not only is it an attractive, vibrant dish, but both purple and sweet potatoes are highly nutritious with many health benefits.
Cooking time: 35–40 minutes (including prep)
Serves 4
a mixture of purple potatoes, sweet potatoes and white potatoes (780 g/1 lb 12 oz in total)
16 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
sea salt, to taste
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 rosemary sprigs
1 tsp pink peppercorns
400 g/14 oz hake, cut into 4 chunks
½ red onion, very finely sliced
1 tsp capers
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
Wash the potatoes, dry them, then cut into halves or quarters depending on their size (keep the skins on). Add the chunks to a large saucepan filled with water and parboil for 10 minutes. Drain well, place in a roasting dish with 8 sage leaves and the bay leaves, sprinkle with some salt and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake in the hot oven for about 15–20 minutes, until cooked through and beginning to colour.
Meanwhile, in a pan large enough to fit the fish chunks, add the olive oil, the remaining sage, rosemary and pink peppercorns, and cook over a gentle heat for a minute or so, to allow the herbs to infuse. When the olive oil begins to bubble slightly, add the hake chunks, cover with a lid and continue to cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, carefully turning the fish over halfway through.
Meanwhile, to make the agrodolce, combine the red onion, capers and white wine vinegar in a small dish.
Arrange the potatoes and fish on a large serving dish. Alternatively, divide between individual plates, making sure everyone gets a selection of coloured potatoes. Drizzle the herby cooking juices from the pan over the top, followed by the onion agrodolce.
Sole is a light, delicate fish that marries really well with the slight smoky aroma of speck, a cured ham from north-east Italy. Speck is obtainable from good Italian delis, but if you prefer, you could substitute it for the slightly blander-tasting prosciutto. Cipolotti are a large version of spring onions (scallions), which you can get in some greengrocers; otherwise, buy the largest spring onions you can find or substitute with shallots or leeks. A quick and simple dish, this makes a lovely and impressive main course, especially when you have guests round.
Cooking time: 25–30 minutes (including prep)
Serves 2–4
250 g/9 oz skinless sole fillets
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of speck
1 generous tbsp butter
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
150 g/5½ oz cipolotti onions, trimmed and sliced in half
80 ml/2½ fl oz/5 tbsp white wine
Slice the sole fillets in half lengthways and season lightly all over with salt and pepper. Lay the speck slices on a board, place a sole fillet on top of each and roll up. Set aside.
In a large frying pan (skillet) set over a high heat, melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, add the cipolotti and sweat for 1 minute. Add 50 ml/1½ fl oz/3 tablespoons of the wine, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the cipolotti are just tender. Remove the cipolotti from the pan and keep warm.
Place the remaining olive oil in the pan, add the wrapped sole fillets, cover with a lid, and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, carefully turning them over halfway through. Increase the heat, add the remaining wine and allow to cook off. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with the cipolotti.
The Italian title of this dish suggests harvest time and a dish such as this would be cooked in rural wine-making areas using meat rather than fish. However, I find earthy-tasting fillets of trout work just as well and the combination of slightly crunchy veg, soft sweet-tasting grapes and the slightly bitter wine sauce go really well together. Don’t worry if you find the wine sauce too bitter on tasting – eating it together with the fish will change your mind!
Cooking time: 30 minutes (not including veg prep)
Serves 4
4 trout fillets (about 150 g/5½ oz each)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50 g/1¾ oz/generous 3 tbsp butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, sliced into thin batons
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
200 g/7 oz white grapes
200 g/7 oz red grapes
30 g/1 oz/¼ cup pine nuts
20 g/¾ oz/2½ tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
300 ml/10½ fl oz/1¼ cups red wine
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Place the trout fillets in an ovenproof dish and season with a little salt and pepper.
Melt 30 g/1 oz/2 tbsp of the butter in a frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat. Add the vegetables, herbs and grapes and sweat for 3 minutes. Pour over the fish, sprinkle with pine nuts, cover with foil, and cook in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Melt the remaining 20 g/¾ oz/generous 1 tbsp butter in a small saucepan set over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, mixing well to avoid lumps. Add a couple of tablespoons of the red wine and continue to whisk. Place back over the heat, gradually add all the wine, whisking all the time, and cook until the sauce has thickened.
Remove the fish from the oven, carefully divide between the plates and serve with the wine sauce.
When I originally set out to make this recipe, I wanted to use porcini mushrooms; however, I was testing out of season and porcini were unavailable. I found a type of cultivated mushroom called Forestiere, which looks similar to large, brown chestnut mushrooms. The mushroom has a slightly wild, forest-y taste and works really well with the seabass. If you can’t find this type, any cultivated brown or white mushroom is fine, and, of course, if you can get porcini during the autumn (fall), then this quick, simple dish will be a real treat! Serve with some boiled new potatoes for a delicious meal.
Cooking time: 15 minutes (not including prep)
Serves 4
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus an extra splash
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150 g/5½ oz Forestiere mushrooms, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
240 g/8½ oz cherry tomatoes, halved
a handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
30 g/1 oz/2 tbsp butter
4 seabass fillets (about 125 g/4½ oz each)
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet), add the garlic and sweat over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, season with some salt and pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
In the same pan, add the tomatoes with another splash of olive oil, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, in another, larger frying pan, melt the butter, add the fish skin-side down, season with some salt and pepper and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn the fish over carefully and cook for a further 2 minutes, until cooked through.
Serve the fish with the mushroom mixture.
I had never heard of plaice until I came to England and found it on menus at fish and chip shops. In Italy, anchovies and capers are often added to fish dishes, so I wanted to incorporate these Italian ingredients with this very English fish. The combination of capers and lemon juice is a winner and gives a delicious kick to the dish. Be careful not to add too much salt to the fish, because anchovies and capers are quite salty. Served with minty, boiled baby potatoes, this makes a lovely, light and nutritious meal, perfect for both a quick and easy mid-week supper as well as for entertaining. I love to mop up the buttery lemon sauce with some good bread at the end!
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes (including prep)
Serves 2–4
500 g/1 lb 2 oz baby potatoes, washed and scrubbed
4 plaice fillets (about 180 g/6¼ oz each)
sea salt
90 g/3¼ oz/6 tbsp butter, plus an extra knob (pat) for the potatoes
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 tbsp capers in brine (if under salt, ensure you wash salt completely off)
juice of 1 large organic unwaxed lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
a handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
Place the baby potatoes in a large saucepan of water, bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, season the fish with very little salt. Heat 30 g/1 oz/2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat. Add the anchovy fillets and sauté for a couple of minutes until the anchovies dissolve. Holding the plaice fillets with your fingertips, dip both sides into the buttery mixture, before placing each fillet skin-side down into the pan. Add the capers, half the lemon juice, a further 30 g/1 oz/2 tablespoons of butter and the parsley, and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Remove the fish to a serving dish and set aside. Increase the heat, add the remaining butter to the pan, stirring well until melted, then remove from the heat and pour over the fish, together with the remaining lemon juice.
Drain the potatoes, toss with some butter and the mint, and serve immediately with the fish.
A traditional southern Italian dish which is perfect to enjoy with a group of friends for a casual supper. Serve with lots of toasted country-style bread to mop up the tomato sauce.
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4–6
1 kg/2 lb 4 oz squid
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 banana shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 ml/3½ fl oz/7 tbsp white wine
240 g/8½ oz tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
200 g/7 oz black olives
toasted country-style bread, to serve
Wash the squid under cold running water, pat dry on paper towels and cut into rings.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and parsley and sweat for a couple of minutes. Stir in the squid rings, season with a little salt and pepper, increase the heat to high and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the white wine and allow the alcohol to cook off. Add the tomato passata and olives, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Serve at once with the bread on the side.
Salmon and fennel go well together and the addition of the creamy sauce makes this a very tasty meal, which can be made in no time. As the salmon is coated in flour and fried, it retains a slight crispiness on the outside, which combines perfectly with the slightly crunchy fennel.
Cooking time: 30 minutes (including prep)
Serves 4
2 fennel bulbs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 salmon fillets (about 110 g/3¾ oz each)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain (all-purpose) flour, for coating
80 g/2¾ oz/5½ tbsp butter
a splash of white wine
100 ml/3½ fl oz/7 tbsp whipping cream
30 g/1 oz/⅓ cup grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
Remove the green fronds from the fennel bulb and set aside. Slice each bulb into 8 segments, place into acidulated water (water mixed with the lemon juice) and set aside.
Cut each salmon fillet into 4 chunks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat in flour. Heat 40 g/1½ oz/2 generous tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat. Add the salmon chunks and seal on both sides, for about 3–4 minutes. Add a splash of white wine and cook for a further minute. Remove the salmon and set aside.
In the same pan, heat the remaining butter, add the fennel segments and some salt and pepper, and cook on a medium–high heat for a couple of minutes on both sides.
Combine the cream, Parmesan and lemon zest and season with some more salt and pepper.
Arrange the fennel in an ovenproof dish, place the salmon chunks on top and pour over the creamy mixture. Bake in the hot oven for 5 minutes, until golden. Serve, sprinkled with the reserved fennel fronds.
This dish is quick and simple to prepare; while the monkfish is cooking, you can get on with making the sauce at the same time. I like to serve this dish with lots of good crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Make sure you use a good-quality dry, crisp white wine, otherwise you could get a bitter aftertaste. If you prefer, you can substitute the monkfish with cod or hake.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2–4
2 monkfish tails (about 650 g/1 lb 7 oz in total)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 anchovy fillets
For the sauce:
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
350 ml/12 fl oz/1½ cups white wine
8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 bay leaves, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
Cut each monkfish tail in half, so that you have 4 pieces of fish, and season with a little salt and pepper.
Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat. Add the anchovies and cook until dissolved. Add the monkfish and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
Meanwhile, blend the cornflour with the white wine and set aside. In a small saucepan set over a medium heat, heat the 8 tablespoons of olive oil, add the bay leaves, shallots and garlic and sweat for about 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley, add the white wine mixture, increase the heat and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve with the monkfish.
I love skate – whenever I see it at the fishmonger I have to buy it and usually cook it in this simple, very southern-Italian way. Served with slices of toasted country bread, it makes a substantial meal for two, although if you are serving other food, you could stretch it to three servings. You can serve the sauce with linguine or spaghetti as a starter and enjoy the fish as a main course – this is quite common in Italy. If you do this, add the cooked pasta at the end when the sauce is reducing.
Cooking time: 20 minutes (including prep)
Serves 2
1 large skate wing (about 500 g/1 lb 2 oz)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
¼ fresh red chilli, finely chopped
2 tsp capers
400 g/14 oz baby plum tomatoes, halved
250 ml/9 fl oz/1 generous cup freshly boiled water
2 tbsp white wine
a handful of basil leaves
2–4 slices of sourdough bread, toasted
Season the skate all over with salt and pepper.
In a frying pan (skillet) large enough to accommodate the skate (if necessary, slice the fish to fit the pan), heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic, chilli and capers and sweat for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the hot water, wine, basil and some salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add the skate, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10–12 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Carefully turn the skate over halfway through the cooking time.
Carefully remove the fish from the pan and place on a serving dish. Increase the heat to high and cook the tomato sauce for a couple of minutes, until it has reduced slightly. Remove from the heat, pour the sauce over the fish and serve with slices of toasted sourdough bread.
