Fettuccine with Fish
Fettuccine col Pesce
Region: Italy, Tuscany
Category: Pasta with Fish
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but long cooking time

A shipboard meal aboard a Tuscan galley of the late sixteenth century included daily rations of hardtack, wine, olive oil, and vinegar.   There was also salted cheese, salt meat, salt cod, sardines, little tuna or salted tuna, herring, and vermicelli to be used in minestra, a soupy stew that usually contains either pasta or rice.   A minestra of the time, besides pasta, might also have contained fish or salted meat. This contemporary recipe is a reflection of Tuscan cooking that found its inspiration in the sea. To achieve a full flavor, you need at least three different fish, such as monkfish, mahimahi (dolphinfish), and shark or grouper, red snapper, and striped bass.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Preparation Time: 1:10 hours

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil     2 medium-size onions, 1 finely chopped and 1 quartered     1 1/2 canned or fresh tomato puree       Salt to taste

1 celery stalk     10 sprigs fresh parsley, tied together     1 1/4 pounds fish fillets (at least 3 of those mentioned above)     3/4 pound fettuccine

1. In a large flameproof casserole, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then cook, stirring frequently, the chopped onion until translucent, about 4 minutes.   Add the tomato puree, reduce the heat to medium-low, season with salt, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.   Reduce the heat to low and cook until smooth and dense, another 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil with the quartered onion, the celery, and parsley bundle.   Salt abundantly and put the fish in the boiling water for 2 minutes.   Remove the fish with a skimmer and cut into small pieces.   Save the water and return to a boil.  Discard all the vegetables and add the pasta.

3. Add the fish to the tomato sauce, stir, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.   Drain the pasta when al dente and add to the casserole.   Toss well and serve.

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Posted: 01/10/2007