March 22, 2023

Jump to Recipe

acquapazza7

I have recently completed some revisions on the blog, and that forced me to go through each one  of my 1,400 recipes to correct some issues that occured when we switched to a new recipe plugin. Although this involved many, many hours of work, it forced me to go through every single one of my recipes posted since 2008. Many of the earlier recipes, although really good, have become lost on the back pages and I realized fairly quickly that I needed to take some new photos and bring some of my favorite recipes back out into the light. This is a recipe that I have been making for over thirty years, and is one that I make often as it is so easy to assemble and always turns out great no matter what type of fish we use. When we are dining out at a seafood restaurant in Italy, this is also usually the dish my husband orders, but it can easily be replicated at home, which we do often.

Cooking fish in Acqua Pazza, or “crazy water” is a great way to ensure you end up with a moist, tasty dish. This recipe was created after a trip to Italy many years ago, where the little tomatoes, or pomodorini are used in the sauce to cook the fish. We used cod in this recipe, but you could use any meaty whitefish fillets. My husband often prepares this dish using whole, small branzino or orata, while I like to use whitefish fillets so I do not have to worry about cleaning the fish afterwards. This is my basic recipe I use, but you could add some juicy Kalamata olives, or some finely minced red chili pepper if you like things spicy.

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Ingredients For Acqua Pazza

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Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped
  • 2 Garlic Clove, Minced
  • 1 Carrot, Finely Chopped
  • 1 Celery Stick, Finely Chopped
  • 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
  • 1 1/2 Cups Dry White Wine
  • 3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsly
  • 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
  • 3 Tablespoons Capers
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Dash Of Red Pepper Flakes (Or 1/2 Hot Red Pepper Finely Chopped)
  • 2 Pounds Whitefish Fillets (See Notes Above)

To Garnish:

  • 1/4 Cup Fresh, Chopped Parsley
  • 2 Teaspoons Coarsely Grated Lemon Zest

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a heavy, ovenproof pan, heat the oil.
  3. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic, and cook until it is tender.
  4. Add the wine, parsely, basil, seasonings, capers and tomatoes, and bring to a boil.
  5. Add the fish fillets, and spoon some of the hot vegetables over them and then bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the fillets are completely cooked.
  6. Taste once more, and adjust seasonings if needed.
  7. Serve the fillets in individual bowls, and spoon a good helping of the tomato mixture into each bowl.
  8. Sprinkle each dish with the fresh parsley and lemon, and serve with some good crusty bread to soak up the tasty juices.
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 fillet plus veggies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 589Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 57g

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