These are gourmand fish dishes that were created on the fishing boats when at sea or when in back in harbor. Originally this was a very simple basic meal, but has now become a very elegant fashionable and still simple meal.

Spaghetti con gallinelle e pomodori
Spaghetti with Garnard fish and tomato

Ingredients
(Serves 4 people)

• 400 g of Garnard fillets with skin on one side
• 320 g spaghetti
• 500 g of nice ripe tomatoes
• Half an onion peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch of parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 fresh small chili
• Coarse and fine salt

Method

Step 1
Put three litres of water to boil in a large pot, adding three level tablespoons of coarse salt.
Rinse and dry the fish fillets then cut into cubes.
Chop the chili and remove the seeds.
Wash and chop the parsley.
Wash the tomatoes, cut in halves, remove the seeds then chop the tomato into pieces.
Put a little olive oil into a frying pan and gently fry the chopped onion until soft,
Add the tomatoes, chili, parsley and a pinch of salt to the onions, mix and then gently cook together for about five minutes to make a sauce.

Step 2
Add the cubed fish to the sauce in the frying pan, slightly raise the heat and cook the fish for 10 minutes, occasionally gently shaking the pan so as to not break up the fish (do not stir).

Step 3
Put the spaghetti in the boiling water and cook until al dente.
Drain the cooked spaghetti, add the spaghetti to the frying pan with the fish and sauce, stir gently and serve immediately.
Very nice when accompanied with a glass or two of Sauvignon Blanc wine!

Gallinelle all’acqua pazza
Garnard in crazy water

In the south of Italy this dish was given the name ‘crazy water’ because, in the old days, the fishermen used sea water instead of water and salt to make this dish. As it was alleged that drinking sea water will make you crazy this recipe was given the name ‘crazy water’.

Ingredients
(Serves 4 people)

• 1.2 kilogram of small Garnard fish or fish fillets
• 500 g Cherry tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch of Parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Method

Step 1
If you have a whole fish, remove the fish fins and wash the fish. Use a pot large enough to hold the fish and warm a little olive oil in the pot. Crush the garlic, remove the garlic skin and add the garlic to the pot together with the fish and a few pieces of parsley. Gently heat the fish for a few moments while gently turning fish so that the fish takes the garlic and parsley flavours.

Step 2
Wash the tomatoes and cut in halves and then add to the fish.

Step 3
Add one cup of hot salted water to the fish, mix and then leave to gently cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat, cover and leave for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, sprinkle the fish with black pepper and serve accompanied with some Chardonnay that has a nice rounded honey flavour.

Recipes by Dario Soresi, La Locanda Restaurant, George: 044 874 7803