Acqua Pazza, or “fish in crazy water”, is a beautifully simple Italian dish of white fish gently poached over fennel, cherry tomatoes and white wine. Served with crisp garlic crostini to soak up the flavourful sauce, it all comes together in the Essteele Per Domani Ceramic 30cm Sauté — from toasting the crostini to gently poaching the fish under the glass lid, then straight to the table on its helper handle for serving
Serves 4
Ingredients
Fish
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4 x 180g snapper fillets, skin on, pin-boned and scaled (or other firm white fish, see notes)
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½ tsp sea salt
Garlic crostini
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8 slices ciabatta or sourdough, cut 1cm thick on a long diagonal
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2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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Pinch of sea salt
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1 garlic clove, halved
Sauce
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3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
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½ red onion, sliced 1cm thick
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1 medium fennel bulb, sliced 1cm thick (fronds reserved)
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1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
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4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
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500g mixed red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
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375ml (1½ cups) dry white wine, such as unwooded chardonnay
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750ml (3 cups) water
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½ tsp sea salt
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¼ cup basil leaves, finely sliced, stems reserved, plus extra leaves to serve
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¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, stems reserved
Instructions
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Toast the crostini. Brush both sides of the bread with oil and season lightly. Heat the Chef’s Pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Toast the bread in batches for 2–3 minutes each side until golden and crisp right through. Rub one side of each slice with the cut garlic and set aside. Wipe out any crumbs.
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Soften the fennel and onion. Return the pan to medium heat and add the oil. Once warm, add the fennel and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft but not coloured. Lower the heat slightly if they start to catch
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Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic and chilli and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
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Cook the tomatoes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 4–5 minutes until they start to collapse.
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Deglaze with wine. Increase the heat to high, pour in the wine and scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift any golden bits. Bubble for 3–4 minutes until reduced by half.
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Simmer the sauce. Add the water, salt and the reserved herb stems. Bring to the boil, then reduce to medium and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes until reduced by about half and thickened. Hold off tasting for now; the flavour comes together once the fish goes in
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Poach the fish. Season the flesh side of the fish with salt. Nestle the fillets skin-side down on the sauce, where they will sit mostly above the liquid. Cover with the glass lid, so you can watch the fish turn opaque, and cook over medium-low heat for 6–8 minutes, until the fish is just opaque all the way through (55°C in the centre for a juicy finish)
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Finish with herbs. Lift the fish onto a plate. Fish out the herb stems, stir the chopped basil and parsley through the sauce and season to taste.
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Serve. Place 2 crostini in each shallow bowl, spoon over some of the chunky sauce and top with a fillet. Spoon the remaining sauce around, scatter with basil and fennel fronds and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve straight away so the crostini stay crisp underneath. Alternatively, return the fish to the pan and carry the Sauté to the table by its helper handle with the crostini on the side
Notes
Choose the right fish - Use firm white fillets such as snapper, barramundi, bream or flathead. Thicker pieces may need an extra minute or two under the lid.
Use sturdy bread - Ciabatta or sourdough works best for soaking up the sauce without becoming too soft.
Warm the pan, then add oil - Ceramic performs best without high heat, so warm the pan briefly over medium heat before adding oil, rather than heating it empty for long.
Cook over moderate heat - Medium heat is ideal for gently building flavour and poaching the fish evenly.
Use wooden or nylon utensils - They’re ideal for stirring and serving without marking the ceramic surface.
Let the lid do the work - Covering the pan traps steam, helping the fish cook gently while staying moist and tender.
