Acqua pazza: Poached snapper recipe

Name: Acqua pazza: Poached snapper recipe
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 bird's eye chillies; 4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped; ½ tsp salt; 6 sprigs fresh thyme; handful fresh oregano leaves; 700g red snapper fillets (or another flaky white fish like tilapia or flounder), cut into 4 pieces; ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; freshly ground black pepper, to serve; toasted sourdough, to serve

Adam Liaw

February 10, 2017

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

The Italian name for this dish, "acqua pazza", translates to "crazy water" and the key is making sure that "crazy water" is well seasoned. If it doesn't taste pleasant before the fish is added, adjust the seasoning.

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bird's eye chillies
4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ tsp salt
6 sprigs fresh thyme
handful fresh oregano leaves
700g red snapper fillets (or another flaky white fish like tilapia or flounder), cut into 4 pieces
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground black pepper, to serve
toasted sourdough, to serve

Method

Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded frying pan over medium heat and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the chillies, tomatoes, salt, thyme and oregano and 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and topping up with a little extra water if it starts to look dry (there should be about 3cm of water in the bottom of the frying pan).
Step 2
Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Add the snapper fillets, skin-side up and spoon the "crazy water" over the top. Cover again and poach the snapper for about 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Scatter the fish with the parsley and grind over a little black pepper. Serve with thick slices of toasted sourdough drizzled with a little olive oil.