Pan Fried Fish with Caponata and Pinenuts

This is a simple way to showcase a beautiful piece of fish. When you can get your hands on really fresh fish you don’t need to do very much to it for it to taste good.

The key to cooking fish is to err on the side of undercooking, a couple of minutes each side depending on the thickness is all it needs.  Fish will continue cooking once removed from heat, and overcooked fish can be very dry and chalky. Cook until the flesh just starts to flake when pressed.

Caponata is full of flavour and is a great side dish for any meat dish, or on bruschetta as antipasti. It has a sweet and sour complexity that balances really well with seafood. A squeeze of lemon, a spoonful or two of caponata and a simple piece of fish is transformed into something special.

The caponata recipe will make more than you need, but it keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and I’m sure you won’t have any trouble finding ways to use it up.

Pan Fried Fish with Caponata and Pinenuts

Simple pan-fried fish accompanies perfectly with spicy caponata.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 4 white fish fillets
• olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt
• lemon wedges
• flat leaf parsley, chopped

Caponata

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 red capsicum, seeded and diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 brown onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 Mediterranean eggplant, cut into small cubes
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 x 400 g tin crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 150 g pinenuts, toasted
• 1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

 

Made the Caponata

1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan and add the capsicum, celery and onion. Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes.
2. Add the eggplant and cook for a further 8 minutes, being careful not to squish the vegetables as you stir.
3. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for a further minute, or until all the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the tomato paste, stir everything to coat and then add the vinegar. Allow to bubble and reduce, then add the tinned tomatoes, sugar, a pinch of salt and a grinding of black pepper.
5. Cook for 15 minutes until reduced and thickened.

Cook the Fish

1. Heat a non-stick pan on medium–high heat. cooked.
2. Season the fish with a little salt and pepper and splash a little olive oil in the pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side (depending on thickness of fish) until fish is just cooked.
3. Sprinkle the caponata with chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts. Place a spoonful of caponata on the plate and top with a piece of cooked fish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley

Recipe from my book – Easy Home Cooking Italian Style, New Holland Publishers, Photo – Jonathan VDK