Maybe because who would ever think that fish poached in a water-based sauce could be so delicious??!
Oh and yes, fish.
As always there are various accounts of the origins and meaning of the dish name.
I used snapper for this recipe which is ideal for this recipe. The fillets are fairly thin and the flesh is a bit flaky but firm enough to hold up to this method of cooking.
But truly, Id happily eat this every day.
And I practically have, leading up to sharing this recipe.
Here are some suggestions:
Snapper this is what I used, its perfect!
Small whole fishwould also work just fine.
Unless youre extremely careful they can become dry inside.
While it will work just fine, its not so common to see it with this kind of sauce.
Fennel is an Italian favourite which adds fabulous sweet flavour into the sauce.
Were using a big red chilli here and only half at that which means the spiciness is virtually non-existent.
Its more about adding a really subtle background warmth.Feel free to add more!
I used snapper for this recipe which is ideal for this recipe. The fillets are fairly thin and the flesh is a bit flaky but firm enough to hold up to this method of cooking.
A fabulous splash of summer colour!
Garlic crostini
And heres what you need for the garlic crostini.
Trust me when I say that you do not want to skip the crostini!!
The snapper fillets used in this recipe.
How to make Acqua Pazza
The fish is half steamed, half poached on the chunky sauce.
Simmer sauce Add water then simmer to reduce by about half.
Dont bother tasting at this stage, its not exciting yet;
Place fishon top of the sauce.
Because its a chunky style sauce, it will sit mostly above the liquid level.
Pending a lid, cover with a baking tray or foil instead;
Poachuntil fish is just cooked.
Using this method of cooking is excellent for extracting the most flavour out of a simple dish.
Garnish with fresh basil and drizzle with olive oil.
Digging in with your hands at some point is not optional!
Another nice thing about Acqua Pazza is that its a complete meal.
Dont let the simplicity of the dish fool you.
This is a poached fish dish that packs seriously good flavour.
The Italians know best!
Prevent screen from sleeping
