Victoria’s Snapper Puttanesca

This recipe has been kindly shared by Victoria Cosford who presented an Italian cooking class in our kitchen earlier this year. It is a quick and simple recipe that is really delicious and perfect for a mid-week dinner, or serve it at your next dinner party to really impress your friends.

Victoria used locally caught snapper in this dish, however any firm fleshed white fish (or even salmon) would work well.

Please don’t be afraid of the anchovies in this recipe, they will melt into the sauce and add a lovely depth of flavour.

Dentice alla Puttanesca

4 small snapper fillets, skin on
Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green olives, pitted
1 tsp salted baby capers, rinsed
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
5 anchovy fillets
1/3 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tin peeled tomatoes, preferably cherry tomatoes or baby romas
extra flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in large frypan over medium-high heat and cook snapper, skin-side down, for 3 minutes without moving,  or until crisp. Season with salt and pepper, turn and cook 30 seconds more. Remove from pan and set aside on a warm plate.

   

2. Reduce heat to medium, add a little extra oil and throw in onion. Cook for about 5 minutes or until translucent , then add olives, capers, chilli, anchovies and parsley and stir for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 mins or until tomatoes start to break down. Season to taste, return snapper to sauce and simmer several more minutes until just heated through.

   

4. Transfer carefully to a platter, for sharing in the middle of the table, and sprinkle over extra parsley. Serve with crispy potatoes and a fresh green salad.

This recipe was kindly shared by Victoria Cosford. Victoria is the author of the gastro-memoir ‘Amore & Amaretti: A Tale of Love and Food in Tuscany’, a very honest and open account of her time living and working in Italy.

Other strings to her bow include being a food and travel writer, food columnist, cooking teacher, recipe editor and chef.

Victoria was born in Canberra, ACT, and earned a BA in languages, with her passion being Italian, in which she is fluent, having spent four years in Tuscany in her late twenties, and returning reasonably frequently ever since. Visit Victoria’s website to keep in touch.