Red Snapper in Brodetto with Polenta
Submitted by andvan
Italian red snapper in brodetto: pan-fried whole fish pieces simmered in a tomato-vinegar broth with onions and scallions, served over creamy bay-leaf polenta. Coastal Italian classic.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1⅔ hrsBrodetto is the Italian Adriatic-coast fish stew, traditionally made with whatever the fishermen brought home that day. This version uses red snapper (or striped bass, sea bass, or monkfish) cut into thick crosswise pieces with the head and tail still on, briefly fried for a golden crust, then simmered in a vinegar-and-tomato-paste brodetto until cooked through. Served over a creamy bay-leaf-perfumed polenta, it’s the kind of meal you’d find in a fishing-village osteria.
The two-step cooking is what makes it. Frying the fish first in vegetable oil creates a crisp, lightly browned exterior that holds together during the simmer. The brodetto (a thin sauce of onions, scallions, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, and hot water) cooks the fish through while infusing it with bright, tart flavor.
The polenta underneath soaks up every drop of sauce. Serve with crusty Italian bread and a glass of cold Pinot Grigio.
Chef Tips
- Use a heavy cleaver to cut the cleaned fish into 3 crosswise pieces (the recipe specifies this technique). Whole fish pieces with bones in are essential for traditional brodetto; the bones add flavor to the sauce.
- Stir the polenta constantly while cooking. Polenta scorches fast on the bottom of the pan and any burned bits ruin the entire batch.
- Don’t overfry the fish. Just lightly golden, not cooked through (the recipe is specific). The simmer in the brodetto finishes the cooking.
- Drain fried fish on paper towels before transferring to the brodetto. Excess frying oil makes the finished sauce greasy.
- Boil the sauce hard at the end to reduce slightly. A loose brodetto pools on the plate; a slightly reduced one clings to the fish and polenta.
Variations
- Use a mix of fish (snapper, monkfish, and a few shrimp or clams) for a more traditional mixed brodetto.
- Add 2 tablespoons of capers and a handful of pitted olives to the sauce for a more pronounced Mediterranean flavor.
- Substitute fish stock for the hot water for a deeper, more complex brodetto.
Ingredients
cleaned, or 4 lb stripped bass, cleaned , or sea bass, cleaned, or monkfish, cleaned
Directions
For Polenta: In a heavy saucepan, combine water, butter, salt and bay leaf.
Pour in cornmeal in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, over medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium low. Continue to stir over heat until mixture is smooth, very thick, and pulls away from sides of pan, about 15 minutes.
Cover and keep warm.
For Red Snapper in Brodetto: With a cleaver, cut each fish into 3 pieces, leaving head and tail on.
Heat vegetable oil in skillet to about 350℉ (180℃).
Dredge pieces of fish in flour, shaking off excess. Cook, turning once, until lightly golden but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Drain on paper towels and set aside.
In separate large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and scallion and sauté, tossing until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
Add fish in single layer and sprinkle with salt.
Spoon tomato paste between pieces of fish and cook about 3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally.
Stir together vinegar and hot water and add to fish. Bring to boil then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully turn pieces of fish.
Increase heat to medium high and continue to cook just until fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Transfer fish and a mounded spoonful of polenta to warm serving plates.
Boil sauce vigorously until slightly thickened and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and a few drops of wine vinegar, if needed.
Pour over fish and serve immediately.
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