Roasted Blue Eye Fish with Puttanesca Sauce, Polenta Chips & Sautéed Greens
Blue eye fish is such a beautiful and forgiving fish because it’s oily and meaty and doesn’t dry out. For the Puttanesca sauce I used fresh, late Summer tomatoes from the garden which were so sweet. I also used silverbeet from garden along with broccoli of which I use up the stalk from both to reduce waste and add texture to the greens. All served with crunchy but soft inside polenta chips.
If making this whole dish, prepare the polenta chips the day before.
Puttanesca Sauce:
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small eschallot
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp Aleppo flakes
50g anchovy fillets
1.2 kilos small ripe tomatoes, chopped (otherwise 850gm tinned tomatoes)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp chopped olives
Handful fresh oregano finely chopped
Zest of one lemon
METHOD
Heat olive oil on medium, add eschallot, when it softens, add garlic, add Aleppo flakes and before garlic browns add anchovy fillets, pressing down and stirring into the mixture until they are like a paste.
Add chopped tomatoes and stir through, let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes then add wine, capers and olives and reduce again for another 10 minutes. Now taste before seasoning with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of sugar if needed. The anchovies and capers will dictate how much salt you need and the sweetness of the tomatoes will dictate whether you need sugar or not.
To finish zest one lemon in and add chopped oregano.
ROASTED BLUE EYE FISH
INGREDIENTS
To serve 6
6 small blue eye (sometimes called blue grenadier) fillets with skin on
15 ml ghee
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180’C.
Make sure the fillet skin is dry, pat dry with kitchen paper and leave in fridge skin side up uncovered for at least an hour.
Heat ghee up on non stick oven proof pan, place fish skin side down in hot ghee, place baking paper over fillets and place heavy pot or weight on fish so it does not curl. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the skin is golden. Now flip the fish flesh side down to sear for one minute, flip back to skin side and place in the oven for 8 minutes.
Do not overcrowd pan, if it is easier you can do three fillets at a time and then place them all back in pan to go in the oven once they are seared.
When you remove fillets from oven, turn back onto skin side up and let rest for one minute before serving with puttanesca sauce (or simply lemon or your preferred choice of sauce).
POLENTA CHIPS
INGREDIENTS
To serve 6
1 cup (170g) polenta (medium grind)
3 cups (750ml) vegetable or chicken stock
125ml milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt
Grind of pepper
Olive oil for baking
METHOD
To cook the polenta;
In a saucepan, bring the stock and milk to a gentle boil.
Slowly whisk in the polenta, then start stirring with a wooden spoon continuously to avoid lumps.
Lower heat and cook for about 15 minutes, do not stop stirring. When it is thick and creamy, stir in butter, parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Pour the polenta into a lined baking dish - about 1.5 - 2 cm thick. Smooth the top and let it cool to room temperature, refrigerate overnight.
To cut and cook chips;
Preheat oven to 200’C. Cut the chilled polenta in to chips. Brush chips with olive oil and place in non-stick oven tray oiled side down, now brush other side and place in oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
To serve, sprinkle with salt or grated parmesan.
SAUTEED GREENS
INGREDIENTS
To serve 6
1 small head of broccoli
1 small bunch of silverbeet
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Wash broccoli and cut florets off, keeping the stalks. Finely dice the stalks and set aside. Wash silverbeet and cut stalks off, finely dice stalks and add to broccoli stalks.
Heat olive oil in deep pan and add chopped stalks, add Aleppo flakes, salt and pepper and sauté for at least 5 minutes. Next add 100ml of water or bone broth and cook until mixture has softened.
Add broccoli florets and cook for about 5 minutes, add chopped leaves of silverbeet and cook down stirring it all through, now put lid on pan and take off heat. It should be perfect in 10 to 15 minutes. You can put back on the heat if you want it hotter or the broccoli softer.
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