Italian Sophistication served up on a single plate. The contrast of colours, textures, tastes and simplicity of this dish make it a superb dinner party dish. It’s all about timing – if the fish is cooked for too long, or too high a heat, the textures and tastes may spoil, so you have to be really careful with it.
Try to get all the ingredients as fresh as possible – for the fish, try to avoid frozen if possible. If you can’t help it, make sure that it is thoroughly defrosted first, and closer to room temperature.
To Serve 8
2kg of Swordfish in 8 fillets, boneless and skinless
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, sliced
3 Orange or Yellow Peppers, cut into thin slices
2 Medium Tomatoes
2 or 3 cups of White Wine
1 tsp Oregano
½ Lemon, Juiced
1 tsp Demerara or White Sugar
½ Cup Light Raisins
½ Cup Pine Nuts
½ Cup Parsley, finely chopped
1. Make a cross on the bottom of the Tomatoes, and place them in a pan of boiling water for thirty seconds. Drain from the pan, and cool under a running tap, peeling the skins and removing the seeds. Cut the flesh into cubes.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan up without any oil in, and add the Pine Nuts, stirring until they start to brown, at which time place them on a plate.
3. Wash and dry the pieces of Fish, and lightly flour them.
4. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large shallow pan, or large deep frying pan, and brown the fish off, half at a time. You may need to add some more oil half-way through.
5. Wipe the pan with some kitchen paper, and add two more tablespoons of oil before sautéing the Onions and Peppers on a low heat until they begin to soften – around ten minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes to the pan, and turn up the heat. Continue stirring for five more minutes.
7. To the pan, add the Wine, Oregano, Raisins, Sugar, Lemon Juice and Parsley, seasoning to taste. Allow to boil for around three or four minutes, and then return the Fish to the pan to heat with the rest of the sauce.
8. Add the Pine Nuts and serve!
Photo Courtesy of: Melvin Schlubman