Ligurian Fish

A great spring meal idea, this Ligurian Fish is light and vibrant, perfect as a date night dinner idea or even as a more refined weeknight meal.

Ligurian Fish is one of the most popular traditional meals from my region (you guessed it, Liguria). It consists of crispy potatoes, together with some sauteed cherry tomatoes, taggiasche olives and pine nuts, which create the bed for our fish to rest. Sounds fancy doesn't it? Well, although it may look fancy, this whole meals comes together in about half an hour and it is actually pretty easy to make. And although I had to make some adjustments to make sure this dish could be accessible to people outside Italy as well (taggiasche olives and whole orata fish are not things you see everyday in England, for example) it still tasted delicious and was an absolute hit when I taught my friends how to make it during a virtual cook-along.

Now, just like for pesto and focaccia, every Ligurian household has their own recipe for Ligurian Fish. Some people do the whole thing in a pan. Some people use slightly different ingredients. I divide the elements of this recipe between stove and oven, because I think it gives the best texture to the different components. This is just what my family does and what I have been eating at home since I was a child.

So, despite looking all fancy, this is a very traditional Ligurian dish. And it tastes so so delicious. Perfect if you are looking to eat more healthy food but cannot stand a bland fish fillet or a salad. So, if you ask me, this is an absolute winner.

Steps to Make This Ligurian Fish:

1. Start with your potatoes: You will need to cut them in very thin, round slices (about 1/8 inch/ 3 mm). Drizzle them with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and bake in the oven.

2. Then prep your cherry tomatoes. Halve them and add them to a pan with a little oil. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes or until they start releasing their liquid and they start 'wrinkling'. Add your garlic, olives and pine nuts and cook for a further 5 minutes. Optional but totally recommended is adding a little white wine as the tomatoes cook.

3. Now the fish. You will need to place each one of your cod fillets on a tin foil sheet, then you will add a little olive oil, lots of garlic and parsley. Then wrap the foil around the fillet and seal it, creating a little 'pocket' or 'bag." This will allow us to both steam and bake the fish at the same time.

4. Flip the potatoes so that they can cook eavenly and then add the fish fillets on top. Baking for a further 15-20 mins, according to how big your fillets are.

5. Time to plate: Start by adding a layer of potatoes to your dish, cover with a few spoonfuls of the tomatoes mixture and then, finally, lay your fish fillet on top.

Ingredients:

Serves 2 people

2 white fish fillets (I used cod)

About 10 big new potatoes

100 gr cherry tomatoes

70 gr pitted black olives (Kalamata work great here!)

4 tbsp pine nuts

5 garlic cloves, minced

Fresh parsley

White wine (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Peel the new potatoes and cut them in very thin, round slices (about 1/8 inch/ 3 mm). Lay them on a large baking tray, making sure they are not overlapping. Drizzle them with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until golden and crunchy (You might want to to flip them after 20 minutes or so.

2. In the meantime, halve you cherry tomatoes and add them to a pan with a little oil. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes or until they start releasing their liquid and they start 'wrinkling'. I like to squish them lightly with a spoon or a fork to help them release their juices as well. Add 3 of your 5 minced garlic cloves, chopped pitted olives and pine nuts and cook for a further 5 minutes. Optional but totally recommended is adding a little white wine as the tomatoes cook - this will deglaze the pan whilst infusing it with a great aroma!

3. Now the fish. You will need to place each one of your cod fillets on a tin foil sheet, then you will divide a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, the final 2 minced garlic cloves and a few, finely chopped parsley leaves and a sprinkle of salt between each fillet. Then wrap the foil around the fillet and seal it, creating a little ''bag". This will allow us to both steam and bake the fish at the same time.

4. Place the fish either on top of the potatoes and bake for the remaining 15-20 minutes before the potatoes are fully cooked.

5. Time to plate: Start by adding a layer of potatoes to your dish, cover with a few spoonfuls of the tomatoes mixture and then, finally, lay your fish fillet on top.

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