I am easily intimidated by things I don’t know. I see something in the market, don’t quite know what to do with it, and pass it by, never knowing what I’ve missed
This happened the other day, when I was at the Farmer’s market. There’s been a recent and much welcomed development at the market. A fishmonger has taken up one of the booths and so we are now getting incredibly fresh, local fish at reasonable prices. None of it is farmed, it’s all coming from the sea and it’s all delicious. The thing is, since it is dependent on an upredictable supply (that day’s catch) I’m never sure of what I’ll find. Add to that, the fact that usually, all the medium sized fish are sold out pretty early in the day. But that’s ok with me, since there is usually either squid or octopus to play with.
But those big fish that look like they could feed a family or two? Somehow they just seem like too much to deal with. In other words: intimidating.
I was thinking that the other day as I was ideally staring at some big, fat totally foreign (to me) fish. They were glisteningly fresh, and while I was tempted, I was also (I admit it) intimidated. First of all I had no idea what kind of fish they were, and so no recipe sprang to mind. Secondly, I just wasn’t up for roasting an entire fish (although it’s actually very easy). There was no reason for my trepidation other than a mixture of laziness, lack of inspiration and a hefty dose of intimidation.
And that’s when the jolly fishmonger came up and nudged me in the right direction. “How many do you want?!” he demanded. “Well, I’m not sure, cooking a whole fish….” I stammered. “No problem, I’ll fillet them for you. Then you can just roast the fillets on top of a layer of potatoes. Dinner’s done.”
Well, ok, if you put it that way.
And so there I was, agreeing to buy fish I didn’t even know the name of. They turned out to be palamite, a relative of the mackerel. They are also called sarda sarda, which I think is one of the greatest fish names ever.
In any case as he started to break down the fish into manageable fillets I realized that like tuna, and also mackerel, the flesh was dark and rich. One fish for the four of us was going to be way more than enough.
While the fishmonger worked on my fish, I headed across the aisle and picked up a kilo of new potatoes. Once home, the dish came together easily. As per his precise instructions, I sliced the potatoes and laid them on a cooking sheet, generously coating them with olive oil and salt. When they were about 3/4 way done, I places the seasoned fillets on top, finished cooking them, and that was pretty much that.
My intimidation had miraculously become dinner.
fish + potatoes
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4
Ingredients
- 1 kilo / 2 pounds fish fillets or steaks (tuna would work fine, or if you can get mackerel, even better)
- 1 kilo / 2 pounds potatoes
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F
- I used new potatoes, so just scrubbed them until clean without peeling. Slice them into half inch slices and lay them on a cooking sheet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, toss and salt generously.
- Place the potatoes in the preheated oven and cook until about three quarters done, about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime lightly coat the fillets with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the fillets on top of the potatoes and cook until done. Be careful not to over cook. It’s hard to give precise times, since different fish require different times. These took 20 minutes.
The Farmer’s Market is located on Via San Teodoro 74. It takes place Saturday and Sunday.
For more on eating and Rome and shopping for food, download my app Eat Italy available on iTunes.
Looks like this trick could be used for many varieties of fish. I’m gonna give it a whirl. All I have to do is get M to eat it!
xoxo
In fact, it’s a great template for any kind of thickly cut fish fillet or steak. The M won’t eat fish??
Not unless cooked past all recognition….same as you know she is about meat. And even then she’s not a fan.
Really? After all these years I never knew.
Hi. I’m wondering at which farmer’s market you bought your fish. You mentioned that the fish stand is new. I know you shop at Campo de’ Fiore from your posts & have hoped it would someday have a fish stand.
I shop at the Farmer’s Market on Via San Teodoro, the details of which are at the bottom of the post. Unfortunately the market at Campo dei Fiori hasn’t had a fish stand in about 7 years now. I don’t think it will in the future.
Interesting that you put the fillets on the potatoes flesh down (or skin up)
was that also suggested by the fishmonger?
No, I just thought that would keep the fillets from over cooking. That was the fishmongers main advice, not to let them over cook.
great recipe..easy to make and versatile…love the blog!
Will try this at the weekend.
I’m lucky to have a great fishmonger near my home in Twickenham ( outer London) although it’s likely to be a much smaller fish
I think I’ll add some tomatoes at the same time as the fish
Or more potatoes. You can never have too many potatoes.
Dear E,
It is actually bonito. In Turkish they are called “palamut” which I thought comes from the Greek name. But maybe it is from Italian. Palamut/bonito is not related to mackarel. But it is a fish we Istanbulis like very much. Its high season is between September and November. I have many recipes on blog, unfortunately in Turkish. But I am still including some link, with the help of Google translate, you might figure it out. If anything takes your fancy, please do ask, I’ll be happy to provide you with a proper translation.
http://kulaktandolmatarifler.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/bu-firin-palamut-baska/
http://kulaktandolmatarifler.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/bir-palamut-bu-kadar-mi-olur-yahni/
http://kulaktandolmatarifler.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/palamut-konfit-quinoa/
http://kulaktandolmatarifler.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/palamut-marine-pickled-bonito/
Thanks Semsa, I was totally confused not only when looking it up online, but also when I actually cooked with it. Because you’re right, it is nothing like mackerel, but exactly like tuna. And thanks for all the great recipes!!! I’ll try my best with google translate. Or, maybe just come to Istanbul and have you cook some up! We may come over when Anya and Barry are there next month
Hey, it would be wonderful to have you all here together 🙂