Mallorcan Braised Grouper
From darbar 16 years ago
- 90 minutes to make
- Serves 4
Those seeking truly authentic Mallorcan cuisine, uncorrupted by the tastes of the northern European tourists who descend on the island in droves, should head to Es Baluard restaurant in Palma. Here, chef Joan Torrens lovingly preserves old recipes, modernizing them slightly but always staying true to the vibrant simplicity of the local traditions, One of his signature dishes is this fish, slowly braised in the oven on a bed of potatoes and capped with a mouthwatering ragout of red and yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, and chard. Read more Currants and pine nuts, which are used liberally in Joan’s kitchen, add the Moorish accent characteristic of Mallorcan cuisine. In fact, the dish brings to mind the food of Sicily - another cuisine that melds Mediterranean and Arab flavors to seductive effect. The recipe is a bit more involved than just plonking fish in the oven, but the result is a marvelous one-dish meal that requires nothing more than a salad of peppery greens. See less
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the fish shopping list
- 1 medium-size white onion, quartered and thinly sliced shopping list
- 5 medium-size garlic cloves, sliced shopping list
- 2 teaspoons sweet (not smoked) paprika shopping list
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes shopping list
- 2 roasted red bell peppers (see page 385), cut into strips shopping list
- 2 roasted yellow bell peppers (see page 385), cut into strips shopping list
- 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped shopping list
- 21/2 cups chopped swiss chard (leaves only) shopping list
- 1 medium-size bunch flat-leaf parsley (leaves only), chopped shopping list
- 1 bay leaf shopping list
- 1/3 cup thy white wine shopping list
- 1/3 cup dried currants shopping list
- 4 thick grouper steaks (about 2 pounds total; see Note below) shopping list
- coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper shopping list
- all-purpose flour, for dusting the fish shopping list
- 4 large yukon gold potatoes (about 2 pounds total), boiled and sliced 1/4 inch thick shopping list
- 1/4 cup pine nuts shopping list
How to make it
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft but not browned, about 7 minutes. Add the paprika and red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds. Add the roasted red and yellow peppers and the tomatoes, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes begin to release their juice, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard and parsley and cook, stirring, just until they wilt. Add the bay leaf wine, and currants and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are softened and the flavors blended, 5 to 7 minutes. The vegetable mixture can be prepared ahead and refrigerated, covered, for 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Rub the fish steaks generously with salt and black pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, Dust the fish lightly with flour, add it to the skillet, and sear for about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer the fish steaks to a plate.
- Set out an earthenware casserole or a deep ceramic or glass baking dish in which the fish steaks will fit snugly in a single layer. Arrange the potato slices in the casserole in one layer, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle salt on the potatoes, then arrange the fish on top.
- Remove the bay leaf from the vegetable mixture and discard it. Season the vegetable mixture with salt to taste, then spoon it evenly over the fish, along with its pan juices. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake the fish steaks until they are very tender, 45 to 50 minutes depending on their thickness. Let the fish and vegetables cool for about 10 minutes, then serve straight from the casserole.
- NOTE: If grouper is unavailable, you can substitute another firm saltwater fish, such as monkfish, mahimahi, or halibut. If you want to use fillets, they need to be thick; reduce the baking time by about 15 minutes.
- This recipe comes from The New Spanish Table cookbook
The Rating
Reviewed by 2 people-
wow, love it.
choclytcandy
in Dallas loved it
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Cooked this one for dinner today. Awesome stuff, flavors great, just right amount of spicy kick. I have to add, however, that I would recommend using fillets, in spite of what was recommended, because digging through all that vegetable awesomeness to...more
crainny
in Prattville loved it
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I cooked this recipe two more times since my last comment, and it's still a favorite. Last night I made it with spinach instead of swiss chard, and it turned out very well. Thanks again, I keep sharing this recipe with my friends :)
crainny
in Prattville loved it
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