Acqua pazza in Italian means “crazy water”. This dish is a one-pan Neopolitan classic, simple to make and tastes amazing.
I saw it being made for the first time on a UK cooking programme (Saturday Kitchen) and thought I must make that, it looks like just my kind of meal.
This is a style of cooking where firm white fish is poached in saltwater sauce. It is particularly suited to hake, cod and if you can afford it, turbot.
You can use whole fish like sea bream, snapper, or fish fillets, you just need to adjust the cooking time to the thickness of the fish so you don’t overcook it. Avoid fine-flaked fish like plaice as they will just fall apart.
A bit of online searching shows many recipes, but I use one from Pasquale Sciarappa. He is an older gentleman, like me, and is passionate about his cooking. He seems to be an Italian version of me!
Watch Pasquale Make Acqua Pazza
Acqua Pazza – Poached Fish From Italy
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. Fish Fillets or Steaks firm white fish like hake
- 1 Shallot thinly sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1 Fennel Bulb thinly sliced
- 1 lb. Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 2 Tbsp. Capers rinsed
- 1 tsp. Hot Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- ⅔ cups Water
- ¼ cup White Wine dry like Chardonnay
- Handful Parsley chopped
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Conversions
Instructions
- Add a large drizzle of olive oil to a sauté pan. Once hot, add in the shallot and garlic and sauté for a minute over medium to high heat.
- Add the fennel and sauté for another minute.
- Pour in the white wine and sauté for another minute, allowing the alcohol to evaporate and the flavor to be absorbed.
- Add the tomatoes and mix together.
- Meanwhile, add the sea salt into the water, mix and then pour into the pan. Add in the capers and hot pepper flakes and mix together. Lower the heat to medium and allow to cook for two minutes, bringing to a simmer
- Add the cod fish fillets into the pan and scoop the sauce on top of the fillets. Sprinkle with some of the chopped parsley. Lower the heat to medium/low and cover with a lid. Let cook for 20 minutes. Depending on how thin or thick the fillets are, it may take less or more time to cook.
- Remove from heat and enjoy with another sprinkle of fresh parsley on top.
You may also like one of my other favourite recipes …
