Sometimes people ask us, “How should we use capers?” Our first answer is always the same, fish! Erics De Mane’s beautiful recipe illustrates this perfectly. Which capers does she use for her Pan-Seared Cod with a Red Wine Caper Sauce? Ours, made by La Nicchia on the small Sicilian Island of Pantelleria. They are they best, most flavor-packed capers you will find.
As Erica explains, “Capers were the flavor I chose to highlight, so I used nice ones. I like the salt-packed Sicilian ones they produce on the dry, windy island of Pantelleria. Gustiamo carries an excellent brand. They need a bit of soaking to remove their salt and reveal their floral beauty.”
Indeed, these are the nicest of the nicest capers. Here is the link to her full recipe. And here is where you can find our capers from Pantelleria. Grazie Erica!
SERVES: 4
TIME: 25 minutes
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Large shallot, 1, minced
- Garlic, 2 cloves, thinly sliced
- Ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon
- Fresh bay leaf, 1
- Thyme, 5 sprigs, leaves stripped and lightly chopped
- Rosemary, 2 sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
- Non-oaky red wine, ½ cup dry
- San Marzano Tomatoes, 400 g / 14.1 oz, well chopped and lightly drained
- Chicken broth or water, ½ cup
- Honey, ½ teaspoon
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon
- Capers, a palmful, soaked and rinsed
- Flat-leaf parsley, about 6 large sprigs, leaves lightly chopped
For the cod:
- Codfish filet, 4 thick chunks, about ½ pound or a little less, skinned
- All purpose flour, about ½ cup
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sugar, a big pinch
- Ground allspice, ½ teaspoon
- Ground coriander, ½ teaspoon
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Lemon wedges
Preparation
1. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add a good drizzle of olive oil, shallot, and let it soften for a minute. Add the garlic, allspice, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary. Add the red wine, tomatoes and chicken broth, and let cook, uncovered, at a good bubble for about 5 minutes. Add the honey, and season with salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes.
2. Cook rice until “al dente”, drain water.
3. Turn off the heat, and stir in the butter and the capers. Mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, sugar, allspice, and coriander. Coat the cod pieces on all sides in the flour mix.
4. Put a heavy-bottomed skilled on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add a generous amount of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the cod, browning it well on both sides.
5. Reheat the sauce, and add the pars
6.Plate the fish, and top it with a big spoonful of the sauce. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve with escarole or another well-seasoned green vegetable.