4. If, when you remove the dish from the oven you find that the fish has shed some liquid, diluting the sauce, tip the dish, spoon off all the sauce and liquid into a small saucepan, turn the heat on to high, and reduce the sauce to its original density. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately, directly from the baking dish.
My Father’s Fish Soup
EVERY VILLAGE on Italy’s long coastlines makes zuppa di pesce, fish soup. On the Adriatic side it is likely to be called brodetto, on the Tuscan coast caciucco, on the Riviera ciuppin, but there are not enough names around to attach to every variation of the dish. Each town makes it in its distinctive style, of which each family in the town usually has its own version.
I have never had a better zuppa di pesce than the one my father used to make. His secret was to extract the flavor of the tastiest part of any fish, the head, and use it as a base to enrich the soup. We lived in a town facing the best fishing grounds of the Adriatic, and he would bring home from the market a large variety of small fish and crustaceans, up to a dozen different kinds, using them to make a soup of many-layered flavor. Most of us now have to make do with a small variety of large fish, but the basic principle of the soup is so efficacious that it can be applied successfully to all firm, white-fleshed fish and shellfish in almost any combination, even to just a single fish, as will be shown in another recipe.
Do not use dark-fleshed fish such as bluefish or mackerel whose flavor is too strong for the delicate balance of this recipe. Do not use eel, which is too fat. Always use some squid, whose flavor contributes depth and intensity. Firm flatfish, such as turbot or halibut, are fine, but sole, sand dab, and flounder are flimsy in consistency and unsatisfying in taste.
Although this is called a soup, it is more of a stew, and no spoon is needed. The juices are usually soaked up with grilled or toasted slices of bread.
About 8 servings
3 to 4 pounds assorted fish (see note above), scaled and gutted
½ pound or more unshelled shrimp
1 pound whole squid OR
¾ pound cleaned squid, sliced into rings
1 dozen littleneck clams
1 dozen mussels
3 tablespoons chopped onion
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill, OR chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
Grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread
1. Wash all the fish inside and out in cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut off the heads and set them aside. Cut any fish longer than 6 to 7 inches into pieces about 3½ inches long.
2. Shell the shrimp, wash in cold water, remove their dark vein, and pat dry.
3. If cleaning the squid yourself, follow these directions. Slice the sac into rings a little less than ½ inch wide, and separate the cluster of tentacles into two parts. Whether cleaning it yourself or using it already cleaned, wash all parts in cold water and pat thoroughly dry with cloth or paper towels.
4. Wash and scrub the clams and mussels as described. Discard those that stay open when handled. Put them in a pan broad enough so that they don’t need to be piled up more than 3 deep, cover the pan, and turn on the heat to high. Check the mussels and clams frequently, turning them over, and promptly removing them from the pan as they open their shells.
5. When all the clams and mussels have opened up, detach their meat from the shells. Put the shellfish meat in a bowl and cover it with its own juices from the pan. To be sure, as you are doing this, that any sand is left behind, tip the pan and gently spoon off the liquid from the top.
6. Choose a sauté pan that can later accommodate all the fish in a single layer. Put in the onion and olive oil, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the garlic. When the garlic becomes colored a pale gold, add the parsley, stir 2 or 3 times, then add the wine. Let the wine bubble away and when it has evaporated by about half, add the cut-up tomatoes with their juice. Stir to coat well, turn the heat down, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 25 minutes, until the oil floats free of the tomatoes.
7. Add the fish heads to the pan, a liberal pinch of salt, either the black pepper or the hot chili pepper, cover the pan, adjust heat to medium, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning the heads over after 6 minutes.
8. Retrieve the heads and spread them on a plate. Loosen and detach all the meat and pulp you find attached to the larger bones, and discard the bones. It’s a messy job that must be done with your hands, but it will make it much simpler subsequently to mash the heads through the food mill if you have already removed the larger, harder bones. When you have eliminated as many bones as possible, puree what remains on the plate through a food mill fitted with the disk that has the largest holes. Do not use a processor or blender. Put the pureed fish in the pan, add the squid rings and tentacles, cover, and adjust heat to cook at a slow, intermittent simmer for about 45 minutes, until the squid is tender enough to be easily pierced by a fork. If during this time, the juices in the pan become much reduced and appear to be insufficient, add about ⅓ cup water.
9. While the squid is cooking, retrieve the clam and mussel meat from its juices, carefully lifting it with a slotted spoon, and put it aside. Line a strainer with paper towels, and filter the shellfish juices through the paper and into a bowl. Spoon a little of the juice over the clam and mussel meat to keep it moist.
10. When the squid is tender, add the fish to the pan, holding back the smallest and most delicate pieces for about 2 minutes, then add a little more salt, and all the filtered clam and mussel liquid. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning the fish over carefully once or twice. Add the shelled shrimp. Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, then add the clam and mussel meat, turning it into the soup gently, so as not to break up the fish, and cook for 1 more minute.
11. Carefully transfer the contents of the pan to a serving bowl or deep platter and serve at once, preferably accompanied by thick, grilled slices of good, crusty bread.
Note You need at least 3 or 4 heads for this recipe, so if you won’t be buying that many whole fish, ask your dealer for extra heads. Make sure you have a food mill with interchangeable disks; the disk with the largest holes is indispensable for pureeing the heads.
Halibut over Squid Sauce
WHEN YOUNG and locally caught, halibut is a fish of exceptionally fine texture. It is rather short on flavor, however, and can become dry in cooking. The preparation described here preserves all of the fish’s natural moisture, and overcomes a shyness in taste by being cooked over a tender, densely savory stew of squid braised with tomato and white wine. The same method can be applied with equal success to other fish steaks, such as mako shark or monkfish.
For 6 to 8 servings
2 pounds whole squid OR 1½ pounds cleaned squid, sliced into narrow rings
⅔ cup onion chopped fine
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic chopped fine
3 tablespoons parsley chopped fine
⅔ cup dry white wine
1½ cups fresh, ripe, firm tomatoes skinned raw with a peeler and chopped OR canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up with their juice
Salt
Chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
3 pounds halibut, cut into steaks 1 inch thick, OR other fish steaks (see recommendations above)
1. If cleaning the squid yourself, follow these directions. Slice the sac into rings a little less than ½ inch wide, and separate the cluster of tentacles into two parts. Whether cleaning it yourself or using it already cleaned, wash all parts in cold water and pat thoroughly dry with cloth or paper towels.
2. Choose a sauté pan that can later accommodate all the fish steaks in a si
ngle layer without overlapping. Put in the onion and olive oil, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook the onion, stirring once or twice, until it becomes colored a pale gold, then add the garlic. As soon as the garlic becomes colored a very pale gold, add 2 tablespoons parsley, stir quickly once or twice, then put in all the squid.
3. Turn the squid over completely 2 or 3 times, coating it thoroughly. Cook it for 3 or 4 minutes, then add the wine. When the wine has simmered for about 20 to 30 seconds and partly evaporated, add the tomatoes with their juice, turning all the ingredients over completely. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down to minimum and put a lid on the pan. Cook until the squid feels tender when prodded with a fork, about 1 hour. If in the interim, the cooking juices become insufficient, replenish with up to ½ cup water when needed. Add salt and chili pepper, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes longer, while stirring frequently.
4. Put the fish steaks over the squid, in a single layer without overlapping. Sprinkle with salt, turn the heat up to medium, and cover the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, then turn the steaks over and cook another 2 minutes or so. The fish should be cooked all the way through so that it is no longer gelatinous, but you must stop the cooking while it is still moist. Taste and correct for salt and chili pepper. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter, and serve at once.
Grilled, sliced polenta would be very pleasant accompanying this dish. See Polenta.
Ahead-of-time note You can complete the recipe up to this point several hours in advance. Reheat the squid gently, but completely before proceeding with the next step.
A Single Fish Cooked Fish-Soup Style
IF YOU LIKE the spirited taste of fish soup, but you don’t want to cook up a large assortment of fish because there are only four or fewer at table, here is a way of preparing just one fish in a simplified zuppa di pesce style. The procedure is analogous to that employed in My Father’s Fish Soup, except for pureeing the heads, which is omitted. The result is fresh and lively flavor that allows the character of the single fish to stand out. Almost any white-fleshed fish is suitable: sea bass, red snapper, mahimahi, monkfish, flounder. Or fish steaks, cut from halibut, grouper, tilefish, mako shark, or swordfish.
For 4 servings (If cooking for 2, use a smaller fish and halve the other ingredients.)
A 2½- to 3-pound whole fish, scaled and gutted, but with head and tail on, OR 1½ to 2 pounds fish steaks (see recommended varieties above)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill, OR chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
1. Wash the fish inside and out in cold water, then pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
2. Choose a sauté pan that can later accommodate the whole fish or the fish steaks in a single layer. Put in the olive oil and the onion, turn on the heat to medium, and cook the onion until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic. When the garlic becomes colored a pale gold, add the parsley, stir once or twice, then put in the white wine.
3. Let the wine simmer for about a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice. Cook at a moderate, but steady simmer in the uncovered pan, stirring from time to time, for about 15 or 20 minutes, until the oil floats free from the tomatoes.
4. Put in the whole fish or the steaks without overlapping them. Sprinkle liberally with salt, add several grindings of black pepper or the hot chili pepper, cover the pan, and turn the heat down to medium low.
5. If using a whole fish, cook it about 10 minutes, then turn it over and cook it about 8 minutes more. If using fish steaks, cook each side about 5 minutes, or more if very thick.
6. Transfer to a warm serving platter, handling the fish gently with two spatulas or a large fork and spoon, being careful that it does not break up. Pour all the contents of the pan over it, and serve at once.
All–Shellfish and Mollusks Soup
For 6 servings
2 pounds whole squid OR 1½ pounds cleaned squid, sliced into rings
2 dozen live littleneck clams in the shell
1 dozen live mussels in the shell
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup dry white wine
1½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
1 pound unshelled raw shrimp
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill, OR chopped hot red chili pepper, to taste
1 pound fresh sea scallops
Thick, grilled or oven-toasted slices of crusty bread
1. If cleaning the squid yourself, follow these directions. Slice the sac into rings a little less than ½ inch wide, and separate the cluster of tentacles into two parts. Whether cleaning it yourself or using it already cleaned, wash all parts in cold water and pat thoroughly dry with cloth or paper towels.
2. Wash and scrub the clams and mussels as described. Discard those that stay open when handled.
3. Put the olive oil and chopped onion in a deep saucepan, turn on the heat to medium high, and cook the onion until it is translucent. Add the chopped garlic. When the garlic becomes colored a pale gold, add the chopped parsley. Stir rapidly once or twice, then add the wine. Let the wine bubble for about half a minute, then add the cut-up tomatoes with their juice. Cook at a steady simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
4. Put in the squid rings and tentacles, cover the pan leaving the cover slightly askew, and cook at a gentle simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the squid is very tender when prodded with a fork. If the liquid in the pan should become insufficient to continue cooking before the squid is done, add about ½ cup water. Make sure, however, that the water has boiled away before adding the other ingredients.
5. While the squid is cooking, shell the shrimp, remove the dark vein, and wash in cold water. If larger than small to medium size, divide the shrimp in half lengthwise.
6. When the squid is tender, add liberal pinches of salt, several grindings of black pepper or the chopped chili pepper, and the washed clams and mussels in their shells. Turn the heat up to high. Check the mussels and clams frequently, and move them around, bringing to the top the ones from the bottom. The moment the first mussels or clams begin to unclench their shells, add the shrimp and the scallops. Cook until the last clam or mussel has opened up. Transfer the soup to a serving bowl and bring to the table at once, with the grilled or toasted bread on the side.
Squid
FRIED calamari, to use the Italian word by which squid has become popular, appears on the menus of restaurants of nearly every gastronomic persuasion. But frying is merely one of the many delectable uses to which you can put calamari. No other food that comes from the sea is more versatile to work with. It can be baked, braised, grilled, stewed, or made into soup. It can be congenially paired with potatoes and with a great number of other vegetables. When very small, it can be cooked whole, but when larger, its sac can either be sliced into rings or employed as nature’s most perfectly conceived container for stuffing. Only outside Italy, however, is its ink used much. To the Italian palate, the harsh, pungent ink is the least desirable part of the squid. As Venetian cooks have shown, it’s only the mellow, velvety, warm-tasting ink of cuttlefish—seppie—that is suitable for pasta sauce, risotto, and other black dishes.
Cooking times Squid’s most vulnerable quality is its tenderness, which it has when raw, but loses when improperly cooked. To stay tender, squid must be cooked either very briefly, over a strong flame, as when it is fried or grilled, or for a long time—45 minutes or more—over very gentle heat. Any other cooking procedure produces a consistency that closely resembles that of thick rubb
er bands.
How to clean and prepare for cooking Fishmongers are now doing a competent job of cleaning squid, and if your market offers that service, you should take advantage of it. Nevertheless, it is useful to understand how squid is cleaned because you never know how thorough your fishmonger may have been, and you will particularly want to go over his work when you will be using the sac whole for stuffing. It is possible, moreover, that cleaned squid is not available and you have to do the job yourself.
• Put the squid in a bowl, fill it with cold water, and let soak for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Take a squid, hold the sac in one hand, and with the other, firmly pull off the tentacles, which will come away with the squid’s pulpy insides to which they are attached.
• Cut the tentacles straight across just above the eyes, and discard everything from the eyes down.
• Squeeze off the small, boney beak at the base of the tentacles.
• If dealing with tentacles from a large squid, try to pull off as much of their skin as you easily can. Wash the tentacles in cold water and pat thoroughly dry with cloth or paper towels.
• Grasp the exposed end of the cellophane-thin, quill-like bone in the sac and pull it away.
• Peel off all the partly mottled skin enveloping the sac. If using the whole sac to make stuffed squid, cut a tiny opening—no larger than ¼ inch—at the tip of the sac, hold the large open end of the sac under a faucet, and let cold water run through it. If slicing the sac into rings, first slice it, then wash the rings in cold water. Drain and pat thoroughly dry with cloth or paper towels.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 35