sea bass with sicilian cherry tomato sauce

Sea Bass with Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce

Fish Recipes

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Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos riff on classic Southern Italian puttanesca with their Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce, here made with fresh tomatoes. The recipe calls for wild sea bass, but Mazar and Corcos like to make it with almost any fish, especially rich and oily ones like mackerel or bluefish.

Cooking Ingredients

    SICILIAN CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE:

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

    • 2 anchovy fillets, drained and minced

    • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

    • 1/2 cup pitted and coarsely chopped oil-cured black olives

    • 2 tablespoons drained and chopped capers

    • 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

    • 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

    • Sea salt

    • Freshly ground pepper

    • Extra-virgin olive oil, for oiling pan and brushing fillets

    • 4 wild sea bass fillets (6 ounces each)

    • Sea salt

    • Freshly ground black pepper

    • Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Cooking Direction

    1. To make the sauce: Heat the oil and anchovies in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the anchovies are sizzling and broken down into a paste, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown around the edges, about 1 minute. Stir in the olives, capers, and red pepper flakes and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 10 minutes. Set the sauce aside.

    2. Oil a large ridged grilling pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Brush the sea bass on both sides with oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place on the grill, skin side down, and grill until the underside is seared with grill marks, about 3 minutes. Flip the fresh fish over and cook until the other side is seared and the flesh is opaque when pierced in the center with the tip of a small sharp knife, about 3 minutes more. Transfer each fillet to a dinner plate and top with a spoonful of the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.