Mackerel in pizzaiola sauce
Serve Gennaro Contaldo's sgombro alla pizzaiola (mackerel in a tomato, caper and black olive sauce) with sautéed rosemary potatoes.
Ingredients
For the mackerel in pizzaiola
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¼ red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 400g/14oz baby plum tomatoes, halved
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú capers
- 10 pitted black olives
- pinch dried oregano
- handful fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- 4 mackerel fillets (about 500g/1lb 2oz in total), either skinned or skin-on
- sea salt
For the sautéed potatoes
- 400g/14oz small new potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep, frying pan, add the garlic and chilli (if using) and lightly fry over a medium heat for a minute. Stir in the tomatoes, capers, olives, oregano, half of the parsley and a little salt and stir fry over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, place the mackerel fillets on top of the sauce, drizzle over 2 tablespoons of warm water, then cover with a lid again and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat, and continue to cook for about 2 minutes to evaporate most of the liquid.
Remove from the heat and scatter over the remaining parsley.
To make the sautéed rosemary potatoes, in a pan of salted boiling water, cook the potatoes until tender. Strain the potatoes and allow to steam dry.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat and add the garlic and rosemary, followed by the potatoes. Allow the potatoes to crisp and colour on all sides, stirring now and again to prevent them sticking to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the mackerel on a serving plate alongside the crispy rosemary potatoes.
