Tagliatelle with Rockfish
Region: Italy, Sicily
Category: Pasta with Fish
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but labor intensive

When you travel to Italy you must order scorfano, a kind of Mediterranean rockfish known in English as scorpionfish.  The taste and texture is extraordinary, and if you've got Italians or Greeks in your neighborhood it's possible a local fishmonger might have some air-freighted.  In its place you will do very well with redfish (ocean perch), grouper, or wolffish (ocean catfish) on the East coast and sculpin, bocaccio, cowcod, idiot fish, or rockcod on the West coast. 

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

2 cups olive oil

1 pound rockfish, scorpionfish or other suggested fish fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, 1 crushed and 2 chopped very fine

6 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

1 pound tagliatelle or fettuccine

1. Preheat the olive oil for frying in a skillet over medium-high heat until it is nearly smoking.  Add the crushed garlic clove to the oil, and just before it begins to turn brown remove and discard. 

2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F (warm).

3. Dredge the fish in the flour, tapping off any excess.  Fry the fish in the olive oil until golden, without crowding the skillet, about 90 seconds each side.  Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon or skimmer and place on a paper towel-lined baking tray to keep warm in the oven while you continue the preparation.  Salt the fish as soon as they emerge from the oil.

4. In a small skillet, heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in which you fried the fish over medium-high heat, then cook the yellow pepper, chopped garlic, parsley, cayenne pepper and black pepper for 2 minutes, stirring or shaking frequently.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt abundantly then cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.  Drain without rinsing. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and toss the yellow bell pepper sauce.  Place the fish on top and serve.

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Posted: 12/18/2006