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Pesce spada alla ghiotta
Swordfish with tomato and capers
Pisci spata a ghiotta: Messina swordfish simmered with tomato, capers, olives and celery
In Messina, where swordfish boats still work the Strait in early summer, a ghiotta is how a family cooks thick swordfish steaks for Sunday lunch: they simmer briefly in a sauce of tomato, celery, capers and green olives, sweet, salty and sharp at once. Some cooks add pine nuts and raisins, a reminder of Sicily's Arab past. A portion gives about 30 g of protein, almost all from the fish, for around 330 kcal. The usual mistake is overcooking: swordfish dries out fast, so it needs only 6–8 minutes in the sauce, until it is opaque right through and flakes at the centre (63 °C). Swordfish is high in mercury, so pregnant people and young children should choose another firm white fish such as monkfish or hake. Chef's tip: simmer the sauce for its full time before the fish goes in; the celery must be soft and the sauce thick, because the fish will not stay in long enough to cook it.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 swordfish steaksabout 150 g each and 2 cm thick
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onionthinly sliced
- 2 sticks celerysliced, plus a few leaves
- 1 clove garlicsliced
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes1 tin, or ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp capersrinsed
- 2 ⅞ oz green olivespitted and halved
- 1 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
- 1 tbsp raisins (optional)soaked in warm water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 8 basil leavestorn
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Warm 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 onion, 2 sticks celery and 1 clove garlic and cook until soft and golden at the edges.
8 minStep 2: Add 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp capers, 2 ⅞ oz green olives, 1 tbsp pine nuts and the drained 1 tbsp raisins. Season with half the ¼ tsp salt and simmer until thick and the celery is tender.
15 minStep 3: Season the 4 swordfish steaks on both sides with the rest of ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
Step 4: Nestle the steaks into the sauce and spoon some over the top. Cover and simmer very gently, turning once halfway, until the fish is opaque all the way through and just flakes at the centre.
7 minStep 5: Take off the heat, scatter over 8 basil leaves and rest for 2 minutes before serving with bread or boiled potatoes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pesce spada alla ghiotta take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of celery?
- Fennel bulb, same weight.
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