Red Snapper in Creamy Broccoli Sauce
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 min.
Dentice con Salsa di Broccoletti, a tasty dish from the Italian shores. Red Snapper is quite common in the Mediterranean Sea. The tasty Broccoli sauce gives this dish its special note. Small roasted potatoes in garlic or a crusty white country bread are a good accompaniment.
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch broccoli about 450 gr (about 1 lbs) cut into florets. Keep 12 florets separated to decorate the plates.
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove peeled and finely chopped
- 1 anchovy fillet, soaked in water water for 5 minutes to reduce saltiness, drained
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
- 250 ml. (1 cup) warm fish or vegetable stock
- 8 skinless and boneless fillets of red snapper or any firm white fish fillet like, cod, turbot, about 100 gr (4 oz) each
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp dry white wine
- juice of l lemon
Preparation:
Bring enough water to cover broccoli florets to a boil. Add your 12 broccoli florets and cook them until they are "al dente" about 3 - 4 minutes. Scoop them out of the water with a sieve and quickly let cold water run over the florets. This will make them retain their nice green color. Set aside. Save broccoli cooking water. Add remaining broccoli florets to the simmering water and cook broccoli until very soft, about 8 - 10 minutes. Drain and let it cool a bit.
In a saucepan warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and anchovy. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes or until the anchovy has melted. Set aside.
Put the broccoli florets (those we cooked 8 - 10 minutes) into a blender or electric food mill. Add the garlic-anchovy mix and parsley. Purée everything. It will result in a rather thick purée. Transfer broccoli-parsley mix to a saucepan and add enough fish or vegetable stock to thin the sauce to your taste. Should you run out of stock, add water. Set aside.
In the meantime preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F). Mix the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with the 2 tbsp of white wine, salt and freshly ground pepper. Baste fish fillets in the olive oil mix. Lay them side by side on a baking dish and bake them for about 8 minutes or more depending on the thickness of the fillets.
While fish is baking, add lemon juice to the broccoli sauce and reheat it. Do not let it boil! Taste for salt and pepper.
Warm plates under hot water. Spoon warm broccoli sauce onto 4 plates. Top with the fish fillets and garnish with the reserved broccoli florets.