I chose this dish for the “Cooking Italy” schedule, because it’s not a typical way most people cook fish and it is a low calorie, healthy meal. Not all Southern Italian food has to be heavy or fattening.
There is no way to make filet of sole look delicious, but take heart, it can taste delicious and a bit sultry. Fish with tomato, spice and capers is very Sicilian, and that means it shouts a little. And there are only two ways to eat this. Over pasta or with crusty bread. Sole tends to fall apart. Be okay with that. It’s a tender, lovely fish, and this is a great way to enjoy it.
Although this was made with canned Italian tomatoes, I’m thinking of summer coming and roasting my own tomatoes for a dish like this.
This was served over some spinach fettucini, which was cooked quite al dente and first tossed with olive oil, red pepper and parmigiano reggiano. The cheese took the place of garlic, which is what I would have used, had I not surprisingly run out.
Recipe adapted from Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
- 2/3 cups onions sliced very thin
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
- 1 cup canned imported Italian tomatoes
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed if packed in salt, drained if packed in vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- Black pepper, or chopped hot red chili pepper
- 2 pounds gray sole fillets or other flatfish fillets
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Put the onion and olive in saute pan on medium until onion soften to light gold. Add garlic. Add tomatoes, salt and cook for 20 minutes until oil floats free from tomatoes. Add capers, oregano and pepper. Stir for a minute. Take off heat.
- Wash fish fillets in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. The recipe calls for folding the fillets in half, and this is probably because they easily fall apart. Smear baking dish with tomato sauce.
- Dip each fillet in sauce, fold. Pour remaining sauce. Put in uppermost rack of oven. Bake for five minutes or until done, but do not overcook.
If sauce is too liquidy, pour into a saucepan and dilute on top of the stove to get back to
original density.
