The (Not Barefoot) Contessa's Fish Pasta
Finished: Delicious!
Fisheri's ingredients specified a white fish, recommending striped bass or snapper. We went with the striped bass, and were pleased that we did.
The sauce is only raw tomatoes, and thus, we did much slicing! We ended up using 1 quart of dicd tomatoes, and our sauce was just a hair too dry (we wanted more of it to coat every strand...
Much like smashing garlic, the meat tenderizer is very effective for pitting olives.
The best piece advice for skinning fish filets? Use a sharp knife.
We cut the fish into pieces that were roughly 1 1/2" squares, hoping this would allow it to cook for a while without drying out. We were right!
Mincing parsley. Perhaps the most tedious kitchen job. Ever.
Toasting the garlic briefly in hot oil before adding the fish. Be careful not to brown it!
Once the fish is added, the garlic begins to brown (and smell delicious) but you really don't want to burn it.
After deglazing with some white wine, the tomatoes!
As the tomatoes cooked, they broke down into a gorgeous sauce.
After cooking the sauce for ten minutes, we killed the heat and added the olives, capers, and parsley. The sauce came together a touch as it sat, and the flavors melded seamlessly.
As soon as the pasta was done, we plated it with the sauce. We decided one large dish of this pasta would be beautiful, and practical, at the table.
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Author Notes: The mother of one of our boys' friends in Rome turned out to be a contessa, a title that only matters if other people care (and they seem to). This is not a very fussy contessa and doesn't mind sleeping on our couch. She can also cook for an army. This is one of her dishes. Can be made with any flakey white fish. Snapper good but I find it best with fresh striped bass. Be very careful stirring the sauce: the fish should remain intact. The tomatoes should be fresh and cooked al crudo, till the juices are released but they are still a little raw. - Fisheri - fisheri
Food52 Review: Fisheri's recipe title -- The (Not Barefoot) Contessa's Fish Pasta -- caught our eye. Turns out the recipe comes from an actual contessa, a friend of Fisheri's. The sauce reminded us of so much of the cooking we've seen in Italy, with vegetables and fish simmered for much longer than you'd expect. Here, the fish is sauteed in oil, and then it stays in the pan as wine is reduced and fresh tomatoes are added and simmered. We feared the fish would end up in shreds. Instead we learned something: by adding the fish early on, its flavor infuses the whole sauce, so the tomatoes and fish are no longer separate entities, but fully integrated into the sauce. And the capers and olives reinforce the flavor of the fish with brine. It ends up being a more vibrant version of puttanesca. - A & M - A&M
Serves 4
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 12 or so oil cured olives, depitted and chopped
- 1 pound white fish, like striped bass or snapper
- 1 tablespoon salted capers
- half a glass of white wine
- 4 big and fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 packet linguine or spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped roughly
- salt and pepper
- chop tomatoes roughly
- dice garlic
- deskin fish and cut into bite sized chunks
- saute three tablespoons of oil with garlic for two minutes or so over medium heat
- add fish, stirring carefully until browned. try not to break it up.
- once browned, add salt and pepper, then half glass of white wine and turn up heat. stir carefully till wine is nearly evaporated.
- meantime, heat pot of hot water for pasta, generously salted.
- when wine is nearly evaporated, reduce heat, add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or so
- add capers (i prefer just to shake the salt off them rather than wash them), parsley and olives. again stir carefully: you don't want to turn this into fish puree. when the tomato juice is released and the sauce is just thickening, turn off heat. you want the tomatoes a little raw.
- cook pasta al dente.
- carefully add the sauce to the pasta over a little heat. stir gently for a minute or two and serve.
- Your Best Summer Fish Recipe Contest Winner!
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4 days ago Laura Abbasi
Made this pasta for dinner. Thought it was a really good idea, but my husband does not like olives and we felt that it needed a little extra oomf. I tried adding more garlic, more capers, but am thinking that I might add some onions next time or maybe red pepper flakes.
3 months ago jifferb
Just wanted to chime in - i love this pasta. its easy, its sooooo flavorful, i didnt have salted capers on hand so just used the ones in brine and poured that in as well. I love this recipe. Esp in summer. Tastes like the sea! So delish! MMMMMM!
5 months ago bcsanjose
This is a essentially puttanesca sauce with fish. Keeping the fish pieces intact is tricky (I used turbot the first time and wound up with a puree). Delicious, though, and requires little effort.
8 months ago bgavin
Made this last weekend with swordfish. Wondering about adding whole mushroom caps to this?
8 months ago bgavin
Made this last weekend with swordfish. Wondering about adding whole mushroom caps to this?
10 months ago Mlouise
Loved it...was out of capers so I substituted green mater martini pickles....sort of itty bitty green tomatoes (beta verde.com)...as good in the pasta as in my martini.
12 months ago Jade West
Being in Barbados, I used local Swordfish. It turned out wonderfully. The smells coming from the kitchen received numerous compliments, and my husband and two children finished with clean plates and very happy bellies. I agree with Dr Babs it wasn't quite saucy enough, but that is easily fixed. Thanks for the recipe!
about 1 year ago Cheazza
Made this last night. The sauce was surprisingly mellow, while keeping a vibrant flavor. It was a total comfort food meal, and I was surprised how easily it came together.
I may add more olived next time, for a bit of a sharper taste. I'll be making this again and again.
over 1 year ago Sonali aka the Foodie Physician
I love the combination of seafood, white wine and capers- delish!
almost 3 years ago likestocooklovestoeat
This is more than the sum of its parts - so delicious, and now one of our favorite pasta dishes. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
about 3 years ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Hi Fisheri. I have been dying to make this since I first saw it--but my husband hates olives and capers--he's out of town tonight so I made it for friends. It was delicious. We thought it could use a little more garlic, and that it wasn't quite saucy enough--the next time I make it I would add a ladleful of pasta water to the sauce before serving.
almost 3 years ago fisheri
belatedly saw this: yes, i often add pasta water to keep it ample, wet and seasoned. forgot to put in that tip. doesnt always need it. but it's a perfect fix when it does. re garlic, this is always to taste. it works great with a lot more than what i wrote. glad it turned out reasonably ok. ian
almost 4 years ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Love the way the fish infuses the sauce, making the whole dish taste of the sea -- in a good way!
almost 4 years ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
You write great recipe titles!