Author Notes
As the long days of Winter become shorter and more manageable with hints of sunshine and brighter days to so come, I yearn for something lighter at my table and on my plate. It is still cool outside and the snow is threatening to fall but here in the Pacific Northwest, the promise of Spring begins to show with the happy abundance of fresh fish at my neighborhood seafood market. It is mostly coming from Alaska and Hawaii but some beautiful sturgeon has begun to appear from the Columbia Valley this week. It is Friday night, which, usually means steak night, but with a craving for the briny flavor of the sea (river, lake, pond...) I decide to swap out my fillet of tenderloin for an equally dense fillet of fresh sturgeon. Sturgeon is a very dense, mild fish that lends well to a hot flavorful bath. I don't start in the kitchen with this thought but it occurs to me that I have at my disposal, a freshly made batch of basic tomato sauce, 6 plump, fresh honey mussels (that I couldn't resist purchasing with the sturgeon) and a desire to cook with anchovies (prompted by this contest); the perfect storm!
If sturgeon is not available, you could substitute monkfish or cod. The end result evolved into, essentially, a thickened tomato bread soup with accessories. The flavor is briny and intoxicating, offset beautifully by the light, sweet flavor of the fish. Spooning the concoction over warm, crusty bread was a last minute decision that turned out to be a most satisfying addition. If you don't have time or inclination to make the tomato sauce from scratch, there are a number of good-quality jarred sauces that I am sure would work too, but the end result will be different (perhaps even better?).
—10 Legs in the Kitchen
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Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS (for sturgeon)
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1 tablespoon
Olive oil
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5 fillets teaspoons
or 1 heaping TB fresh anchovy fillets (it is essential to use good quality anchovies, packed in oil, not from a tin. I buy mine out of the refrigerated section rather than off the shelf). 1 cup homemade tomato sauce (recipe to follow)
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1 cup
homemade tomato sauce (recipe to follow)
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1/4 head
cauliflower (you will only need 2-3 pieces per person but if you roast the whole head, you could use the remaining for a soup)
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some
Olive oil for brushing the cauliflower plus fresh pepper
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some
Olive oil for browning the fish
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3/4 pound
Columbia River Sturgeon fillet, lightly seasoned with sea salt and pepper, skin and bloodline removed.
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1/4 cup
Chopped cippolini onions or shallots
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2 cloves
Chopped garlic
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1 tablespoon
fresh, chopped rosemary
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2 tablespoons
capers, rinsed (preferably salt-packed)
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6
Castelvetrano olives, pitted, cut in half
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2 medium sized
tomatoes, cored and cut into 8 pieces
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1/2 cup
cooked, drained cannelini beans (optional)
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1 cup
White wine
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6 live
honey mussels (or the best available to you in your area)
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2 qty
1" thick slices crusty bread (heated in the oven or grilled)
- INGREDIENTS (for basic tomato sauce)
-
1 tablespoon
Olive oil
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2 cups
chopped onions
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1 cup
chopped carrots
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4-6 cloves
garlic, chopped and peeled
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1 tablespoon
red wine vinegar
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1 1/2 cups
red wine
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3 qty
28 oz cans peeled whole tomatoes or diced, unsalted (preferably San Marzano)
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2 tablespoons
tomato paste (from the tube, Napoleon double-concentrate or 1 small can)
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20-30 ginds
Fresh pepper
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1 teaspoon
red chili flakes
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2 tablespoons
dry oregano
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1/4 teaspoon
allspice
-
1/4 cup
Fresh basil, chopped
-
some
Sea salt, to taste
Directions
- INGREDIENTS (for sturgeon)
-
PREP:
In a small saucepan, heat 1 TB olive oil until very hot, but not smoking. Drop in the chopped anchovies, they will sizzle. Turn down the heat slightly and let them fry for a minute or two until fragrant.
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Add the tomato sauce, cover and let simmer a few minutes more until the flavors have melded. Set aside
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Brush the cauliflower with olive oil, grind over fresh pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven until browned (20-30 minutes). Cut into florets, trimming away most of the stem, set aside.
-
COOK:
In a heated skillet tipped with olive oil, brown the sturgeon on one side. When you are able to move it without sticking to the pan, flip it over, add the onion and garlic.
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Turn the heat down a bit, stir the onion mix and add in the rosemary, capers, olives,
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Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels; give the pan another shake.
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Add the tomato sauce and roasted cauliflower. Quickly bring back to a simmer and transfer to the oven (which should still be heated to 400 degrees). If you haven't already done so, put the bread in the oven to heat and toast slightly being careful not to burn.
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If the mussels have already opened and the fish still feels dense to the touch, transfer the mussels to a plate and keep in a warming drawer or covered nearby. The fish might need 5 - 10 minutes in the oven to cook through and become tender.
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When the fish is nearly ready, add the mussels back to the pan to heat through.
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SERVE:
Tear each slice of bread into large pieces and place in the bottom of 2 (or 3) deep, heated, individual serving bowls. Ladle some of the sauce over the bread then, using kitchen tongs, place a piece of fish and three mussels on top with a few pieces of cauliflower alongside.
- INGREDIENTS (for basic tomato sauce)
-
MAKE THE TOMATO SAUCE:
In a stock pot, sweat the onion, carrots and garlic in the olive oil until they are soft (approximately 10 minutes). Listen to them sizzle softly, without browning and reflect on the day.
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Add the vinegar and cook for another minute before adding the wine. Breathe in the fragrance and exhale.
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Now empty the tomatoes into the pot, stir. Take in the wonderful hue of red with your eyes and recall warm summer gardens brimming with plump, sweet tomatoes bursting from the vines.
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Stir in the tomato paste and grind in the pepper. Feel the strength of your hands as the mill turns out the fiery black speckles.
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Add in the chili flakes through the fresh basil, one spice at a time. Pause after each addition to appreciate the smell and imagine the taste that the spice will bring to the finished sauce. Tip the jar a little further or scoop the herb a little fuller if you feel more will improve the taste.
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Bring the mixture to a rumbling simmer, turn down the heat and cover the pot. Let it simmer this way for 30 minutes, or so. Don't go too far though, it will need attention and stirring. As you lift the lid to stir, breathe in the aromas, deep and slow. Break up the tomatoes with the back of your spoon, put the lid back on the pot and pour yourself a glass of wine.
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After the 30 minutes, or so, remove the lid and continue to simmer, gently, for at least another hour, more if you desire. I usually go about my business attending to other things and keep it simmering away for several hours, adding the lid when it gets thicker than I want, and then removing the lid to thicken a little more.
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When the sauce is done, you can keep it chunky or use a small hand mixer to purée the sauce into a more even consistency as I would for the sturgeon.
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