Blackened Tilapia with Roasted Pepper and Corn Salsa

Tilapia seems almost ubiquitous.  After shrimp, canned tuna and salmon, tilapia is the most consumed fish in the United States.  It is also, as I have previously blogged, almost entirely farm raised.  Those tilapia farms are spread out across the world, with the largest concentrations in China, Indonesia, Egypt, the Phillippines and Brazil.  It is hard for a consumer to keep track of how fish are raised when the raising is being done thousands of miles away from one's home.  

However, it is possible to raise tilapia in your backyard.  There is a rather small industry out there that is willing to help you start your own tilapia farm.  There are a host of businesses with websites, such as www.tilapia-farming.com and www.worldwideaquaculture, which provide the starting point.  After having read through a couple of the websites, it is clear that tilapia farming involves more than filling your kids' plastic pool with water and dropping a few fish in it so they can swim around.  It is also involves a lot more than dumping a bunch of fish in your neighbor's in-ground pool.  

Indeed, at tilapia-farming.com, there are a series of seven steps to be taken by anyone who is considering the conversion of their backyard into a tilapia farm.  The first step -- take a quick inventory of your motives and readiness.  That seems like a very good start.  Why do you want a tilapia farm in your backyard?  The website tries to help you by asking, "if you grow enough fish, will you barter them with your neighbors for other goods or services?"  How many fish will it take for my neighbor to cut my lawn?  How many fish can I give to a neighbor's teenage kids as compensation for babysitting my children for an evening?  How many fish does it take before all my neighbors refer to me as "that fishy guy?" 

Moving a step or two forward, as it turns out, you can use your kid's pool to start your tilapia farm.  Who knew?  But, one must first check with the local regulations to see if you can have such a farm in your backyard.  My local jurisdiction has none, so there is nothing in my way starting my own gangbusters tilapia farm (except, perhaps, my beautiful Angel who may want to keep the backyard for other purposes).  

Of course, I would need a budget, and, equipment. The folks at tilapia-farming.com note that "tilapia can be grown successfully in a variety of environments, including ponds, cages, raceways and tanks."  Those same folks add, "[u]rban farmers have even reported growing them in trash cans."  (I think if I used garbage cans, I'd get an "AVOID" rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.)  But still, a working water spigot, a garden hose, and my kid's pool are all components of a starter tilapia farm.  All I need is the fry and some time and then I will be on my way.

Well, not really.  All of this is in jest.  To be sure, one could start a tilapia farm if he or she had the resources, the time, and the know-how.  The websites can certainly provide the know-how, but I think I am lacking in the rest of what is needed.  But, it is fun to dream about it.

Turning to the recipe, I decided to make a blackened tilapia with a roasted pepper and corn salsa.  This is a pretty straightforward and simple recipe to make.  I started with a traditional blackening spice - cayenne, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano.  But, I added a few other spices, like cumin, celery seeds and ancho chile powder (for a little smokiness).  The salsa is also fairly simple and it adds some color as a garnish to the fish.  The ease in terms of making this dish is why a blackened fish with some sort of salsa is a go-to recipe for me.  

BLACKENED TILAPIA WITH ROASTED PEPPER AND CORN SALSA

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2

Ingredients (for the tilapia):

2 tilapia fillets

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

Ingredients (for the salsa):

1 green bell pepper, roasted, diced 

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced finely

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1.  Prepare the tilapia.  Mix the paprika, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, celery sides, cumin, cayenne pepper, ancho chile pepper and salt together.  Apply the mix to the tilapia, making sure that the entire fillet is covered.

2.  Prepare the salsa.  Heat the butter over medium high heat.  Add the onions, jalapeno peppers and garlic, along with the dried oregano and thyme, and saute until the onions are translucent, about five minutes.   Add the roasted bell pepper and continue to saute for a couple minutes more.  

3.  Pan-Fry the Tilapia.  Heat the canola oil over very high heat.  Add the tilapia fillets and pan fry for about four  minutes.  Flip the fillets and continue to fry for about 3 minutes more.  Remove from the heat.

4.  Finish the dish.  Plate the tilapia.  Spoon the salsa over the middle of the fillet.  Serve immediately.  

ENJOY!

Pan-Fried Tilapia with Mushroom-Onion Sauce

Author Helene York once described tilapia as "the fish everyone loves to hate."   Chefs dislike the fish because of its mild, almost bland taste.  Environmentalists cannot stand the fish because tilapia is more like a crop than a fish, cultivated in large pens or ponds where it is given soy feed.  Dietitians and  nutritionists spurn the fish because, unlike salmon, tuna or even lake trout, tilapia lacks Omega-3 fatty acids.  

Yet, this fish -- or should I say one-hundred species of  fish (as "tilapia" is just a catch all for all those species of Tilapiine Chichlids) -- is very popular with consumers, particularly in the United States.  Most of the tilapia that you would find on your grocery store shelves does not originate in this country.  Tilapia is produced (that is, farmed through aquaculture in 140 countries.  However, the five largest producers of tilapia are China, Indonesia, Egypt, the Philippines and Brazil.  The overwhelming amount of tilapia consumed in the United States comes from the largest producer, China. 

Yet, for a very long time, Monterey Sea Aquarium's Seafood Watch cautioned consumers to avoid Chinese tilapia. The reasons lie with the methods used to raise the fish.  Many of the Chinese tilapia farms are outdoor freshwater ponds where, according to some reports, the fish are fed waste from poultry and livestock.  Such waste may be contaminated with salmonella, which increases the risk to consumers from improperly cooked fish.  The waste also created environmental issues when there was runoff from the ponds.  In recent years, Seafood Watch has lessened the caution as Chinese producers improved their methods of production and even rates tilapia raised by Chinese producers in ponds as a "good alternative."  For more on Seafood Watch's recommendations as to Chinese tilapia, you can check out their report.  

The current Seafood Watch recommendations for tilapia focus heavily on the method of farming.  Seafood Watch advises that the best choices are tilapia from Peru that are raised using outdoor flowthrough raceways or tilapia from Ecuador that are farmed in ponds.  Seafood Watch also recommends tilapia from anywhere in the world that uses indoor circulating tanks.  

As a consumer, it is very hard, if not impossible, to determine how a fish was raised.  You may be looking at fresh fillets behind the glass at the fresh seafood counter.  The only information may be a sign that says "Tilapia - $3.00 per pound."  Or, you may be looking at a bag of frozen tilapia fillets, which may have some pretty pictures of the fillets, or a recipe, but nothing about how the fish was raised.  However, if you can find the country of production, that gives you at least some information that you can use in conjunction with Seafood Watch to determine whether this fish is a good buy or should be avoided. 

My beautiful Angel purchased some fresh tilapia fillets from Costco.  According to Costco, its tilapia comes from certified suppliers, including Regal Springs.   This company uses freshwater net pens to raise tilapia in Mexico, Honduras and Indonesia.  Seafood Watch rates tilapia from these countries using this method as a "good alternative."  There are some concerns about the environmental impact of the waste discharged by the fish in the freshwater lakes, but these farms have been certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (a discussion about this certification will be left for another time). 

With this tilapia, I had to come up with a recipe.  I was inspired by French recipes.  I decided to first coat the tilapia in  a special flour.  The flour was 1/3 ground almonds and 2/3 all purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.  I then pan-fried the fish in a little butter.  Once the tilapia was cooked, I made a pan sauce by deglazing the pan with some white wine.  (For this recipe, I used a very delicious Picpoul de Pinet that I found at a local wine store adjacent to the grocery store.)  I then added some mushrooms, onions and garlic that I had separately sauteed to the sauce, allowed the flavors to meld.  I also whisked in a little more flour to thicken the sauce just a little before I poured that sauce over the fish.   

In the end, this dish was a very tasty meal, especially considering the fact that I came up with it while perusing the aisles of that grocery store.  It is a reminder that I have to get back to doing more Chef Bolek originals, as long as I keep the recipes simple and work on highlighting flavors.  

PAN-FRIED TILAPIA WITH MUSHROOM-ONION SAUCE

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia fillets

16 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup Vidalia onion, sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, minced finely

1 tablespoon parsley

1 lemon, juice and zested

1/3 cup toasted almonds, ground into powder

1/3 cup flour, plus 1 tablespoon

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup white wine (such as Picpoul de Pinet)

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1.  Prepare the sauce.  Saute the mushrooms in a pan over high heat until they release their water.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter, onions, thyme and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and continue sauteing until the mushrooms, onions and garlic have cooked down.  Add the wine and let it simmer on very low.

2.  Saute the fish.  Combine the ground almond and flour, season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Dip the fish fillets to cover them with the flour.  Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat.  Add the fish fillets and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Flip and saute for 3 minutes more or until cooked.

ENJOY!

Tilapia "Affogato"

In Tuscany, there is a dish called Trote Affogato or "Drowned Trout."  The recipe calls for the sauteing of fresh trout with an herb mix and, as the fish cooks, white wine is carefully drizzled over the fish.  As the wine evaporates, more is drizzled over the fish.  Once the fish is cooked, you can plate the fish and use the juices in the dish as a sauce.

I have made the original Trote Affogato for my wife, my beatutiful Angel.  However, over the years, I have tried different versions of this dish.  I have used different fish, different wine, and even different aromatics. They have not always been successful.  

This is my most recent attempt to make this dish.  Once again, I decided to use different ingredients that the Trote Affogato recipe.  Different fish, aromatics and herbs. The one thing that this recipe shares in common with Trote Affogato is the use of the white wine, drizzling it slowly and carefully so that the fish is basically poached in the wine.  In so doing, I sought to achieve the true meaning of "Trote Affogato" ..."poached trout."

PESCE AFFOGATO

Recipe adapted from Regional Italian Cuisine at p.144

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 fillets of fish (such as trout or tilapia)

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, white part thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, diced

1/2 cup of white wine 

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Ground pepper

Directions:

1.  Saute the scallions and herbs.  Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the scallions and saute for two minutes.  Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme.  Saute for a couple minutes more.  

2.  Saute the fish.  Add the fish fillets.  Drizzle a few tablespoons of wine over the fish.  Saute the fish until the wine evaporates before you add more.  Repeat by drizzling a few more tablespoons of wine over the fish and allow it to cook until evaporated.  Continue this process until the fish is cooked, which will depend upon the fish and the thickness of the fillet. 

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

Given the use of white wine in this recipe, the obvious pairing for this dish is white wine.  I used a Terre di Chieti Bianco from Perlage.  This wine is made primarily from the Trebbiano grape, which is grown throughout Italy.  There are also Trebbiano wines, such as Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, which will also work well with this dish. 

ENJOY!

Pan Seared Tilapia and Cortez Bay Shrimp with Roasted Raddichio Salad

It has been a while since I tried to create a recipe or make a Chef Bolek Original.  The reason rests with the fact that I have been extremely busy at work.  By the time I get home, I either don't feel like cooking or I just want to make something quick. There were a couple of nights where I tried to make something original and "blog-worthy," except what I ended up with was something straight out of Hell's Kitchen.  As I looked at and ate the dish, I could just picture Gordon Ramsey in the room, screaming and swearing at me or the dish.  "What is that," Ramsey would yell in his Scottish/English accent, "that $#*+ is f*<k!^g disgusting.  I expect more from you."  So, with those thoughts in my head, the dishes never made it to the blog.  That is one reason why I have not been posting as much as I usually do. 

Still, the whole point of this blog is to chronicle the adventures of someone who, unlike Chef Ramsey, has no professional training, no Michelin stars, and no (recent) restaurant experience. Clare tells me that I should post the good, the bad and the ugly, but, quite frankly, while the good looks good, the bad is bad and the ugly can be ... at times ... downright ugly.

My greatest inspiration is my beautiful wife, because much of what I cook, I cook for her.  Recently, I wanted to make a nice dinner for her.  I purchased some Tilapia and some shrimp.  While that satisfied the protein for the dinner, I needed some vegetable or other side dish.  I saw a head of radicchio -- it is hard to miss the pinkish-purplish mass in the midst of greens -- and remembered my effort at grilling radicchio.  Radicchio is a very bitter vegetable, but grilling or roasting it helps to blunt the bitterness.  Add in some roasted sweet onions, along with some shallots and shiitake mushrooms sauteed in butter, and I had the makings of a warm salad. Some toasted pine nuts and walnuts, with whole parsley leaves, would finish the dish. 

As for the shrimp and fish, both are prepared with a simple saute. I wanted the protein to be relatively simple and experiment a little with the roasted radicchio salad.  The salad was good, but still a little too bitter for me.  An alternative that might help to reduce bitterness even further is to baste the radicchio quarters with a mixture of olive oil and butter or just use butter. 

This dish will not win any awards or, perhaps, Chef Ramsey's approval, but Clare liked it.  That is good enough for me.  

PAN-SEARED TILAPIA AND CORTEZ BAY SHRIMP

WITH ROASTED RADICCHIO SALAD

A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2

Ingredients (for the fish):

2 fillets of tilapia

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

1 lemon, juiced

Ingredients (for the shrimp):

6 large shrimp (16/20 count)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pinch of aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons of white wine

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

Ingredients (for the radicchio):

1 head of radicchio, sliced into wedges and cored

1 sweet onion, sliced into wedges

1 shallot, sliced thinly

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/8 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons of walnuts, toasted

Directions:

1.  Roast the radicchio.  Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the radicchio wedges and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet and brush with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes to fifteen minutes, or until crisp around the edges and just tender. Serve at once.

2.  Saute the remaining ingredients for the salad. Heat a saute pan over medium to medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms.  Saute the mushrooms, stirring occasionally so they don't burn, until you begin to draw out the moisture (it will sound a little like hissing).  Add two tablespoons of butter and stir into the mushrooms.  Add the shallot and crushed red pepper.  Continue to saute until the shallot is translucent, about three to five minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside. 

3.  Saute the shrimp.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp and the aleppo pepper.  Cook the shrimp on each side for a minute or two, and flip, continuing to cook for another minute remove the shrimp and set aside.  Add the white wine and cook for a minute or two. 

4.  Cook the fish.  Add the fish to the pan and begin to saute the fish.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil if necessary.  Saute the fish for about four minutes and flip the fish.  Continue to cook for another four minutes or until done.  When the fish is nearly done, add the shrimp to the pan to heat the shrimp.

5.  Plate the dish.  Plate the fish and place the shrimp on top of the fish.  Plate the radicchio salad on the side.  Drizzle some lemon juice over all of the dish.

PAIRING THIS DISH

This dish calls for a white wine.  While selecting the ingredients for the grilled radicchio salad, I came across a white blend made with Colombard, Gros Manseng and Ugni Blanc.  This wine worked very well.  It had a slight tartness, from the citrusy flavors, that actually worked to reduce the bitterness of the radicchio. I was pleasantly surprised that the wine paired so well with the dish.  So here it is:

Alain LaLaine -- Domaine San de Guilhem (2010)

40% Colombard, 30% Gros Manseng, 30% Ugni Blanc 

Gascony, France

Flavors of lemon and melons

ENJOY!

Almond Crusted Tilapia

We had a bag of sliced almonds lying around after Clare made the Warm Cheese Tart with Cinnamon and Sliced Almonds. Looking to work a little creativity in the kitchen, I decided to use the leftover almonds as breading for a couple of fish fillets.

I first ground the almonds into "bread crumbs."  Then I consulted The Flavor Bible to decide what I could add to flavor the almond crumbs.  I decided on three additional flavors ... green cardamom, paprika and cayenne pepper.  All three flavors work well with almonds.

As I prepared the almonds, I realized that the texture of the ground almonds presented some issues when it came to breading.  The ground almonds tended to clump together, as if there was some moistness in the almonds.  I feared that this would present some difficulty when it came to cooking the fish.  I had planned on sauteing the fish in a pan with only a little oil; but I became concerned that the breading to come off of the fish.   I ultimately decided that, rather than sauteing the fish, I would increase the amount of oil and basically fry the fish.  The additional oil would cook the breading faster and help keep it bound together during the cooking process.  

I should note that the almonds created a rather thick breading, which was fine for both Clare and myself.  If you would like to lighten the breading, I would suggest adding a cup or two of flour in place of a cup or two of ground almonds. 

ALMOND CRUSTED TILAPIA

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Tilapia fillets
4 cups of sliced almonds, ground into powder
8 green cardamom pods, toasted and ground into powder
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper to taste
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 to 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1.  Make the breading.  Put the ground almonds, ground cardamom, cayenne and paprika on a plate, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix all of the breading ingredients together. 

2.  Bread the Tilapia fillets.  Beat the egg in a bowl.  Dip the tilapia fillets in the egg and then in the breading mixture.  Let the tilapia fillets sit for five minutes or so before cooking them.

3.  Cook the Tilapia fillets.  Heat the oil on high heat.  When the oil begins to shimmer, reduce the heat to medium-high heat and place the fillets in the pan.  Cook for about four minutes and then flip.  Cook for about four minutes more or until the fillets are opaque and begin to flake.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

Looking at this recipe, the pairing must take into account, not only the fish, but also the almond breading.  Given the richness and weight of the almond breading, a lighter wine or beer seems appropriate. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Dr. H. Thanisch -- Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett 2009.

100% Riesling

Mosel Valley, Germany

Flavors of apples and bartlett pears

Le Chapeau -- Pinot Noir Cuvee Napoléon (2010).

Pinot Noir

Corsica, France

Light body with strawberry and raspberry flavors

Pub Dog -- Hoppy Dog Pale Ale.

India Pale Ale

Gaithersburg, MD

Lighter than average hop flavor

ENJOY!

Broiled Tilapia with Crawfish

As I was preparing for making a Mardi Gras meal of Seafood Gumbo, I bought a package of frozen Crawfish, which is already precooked.  The package was too large for the Seafood Gumbo, so I divided the package into two and decided to use one part to make a small and quick dish for Clare.  We had tilapia in the freezer and I decided to use that fish and make a sauce that could be put over the fish.

In trying to think through the sauce, I had a brown butter sauce in mind.  I've made a brown butter sauce for pasta, but this time, it would be only for the fish.  I also wanted to layer a few different flavors into the sauce, to make it a little more complex.  I bought some sweet peppers, roasted them and diced them.  This would add sweetness to the butter sauce.   I decided to add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper, which would provide the spice and a teaspoon of smoked paprika, which would provide a smokiness to the butter sauce.   For a sauce that I thought up in about five minutes, it did not turn out too bad.  However, I think that, if I make the sauce again, I would probably reduce the amount of butter used by about a quarter or a third.

BROILED TILAPIA WITH CRAWFISH

A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2

Ingredients (for the tilapia):

2 pieces of tilapia

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Ingredients (for the Sauce):

1/2 cup of crawfish tails

2 roasted peppers, diced

1/2 red onion

1 clove garlic, diced

5-6 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of rosemary, diced

1 tablespoon of sage, diced

1 tablespoon of thyme, diced

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fish.  Heat the broiler.  Brush the tilapia with olive oil and brush a broiler-safe pan with olive oil (to avoid sticking).

2.  Saute the vegetables.  Heat the butter on medium heat in a saute pan.  Add the garlic and onions and saute for about five minutes.  Add the crushed red pepper and continue to saute for the rest of the five minutes.  Add the roasted peppers and fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme).  Stir the vegetables and continue the sauteing for another couple of minutes.  Add the smoked paprika and stir very well.

3.  Broil the tilapia.  Cook the tilapia under the broiler until it is done, which should take about seven minutes.  Remove from the heat.

4.  Add the crawfish to the vegetables.  While the tilapia is cooking, add the crawfish and stir.  Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the crawfish is warmed through.

5. Finish the dish. Plate the fish, spoon some of the crawfish and vegetable mixture over the fish.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Couscous alla Trapanese con Pesce y Calamari

This recipe is based upon a recipe by Chef Giuliano Bugialli, who wrote a cookbook of recipes from the Italian islands, like Sardinia and Sicily.  Couscous is an ingredient in Sicilian cooking, particularly in Trapani, which is both a city and a province in Western Sicily.  Trapani is near North Africa and, hundreds of years ago, Arabs ruled over this part of the island.  The Arabs brought, among other things, couscous.  Today, the couscous used in Sicilian cooking is usually Moroccan couscous rather than Israeli couscous.  In Trapani, couscous is made with fish, rather than with meat as it is in Northern Africa.

This is one of two couscous recipes that are being posted.  This recipe focuses on the use of fish and calamari, in the traditional Trapanese style.  This recipe is substantially revised from Chef Bugialli's recipe, primarily to make it easier to make.  One major revision is that the couscous is toasted in butter first.  This helps to develop the flavor of the couscous.  Another major revision is the use of canned tomatoes over fresh tomatoes, because they are easier to use and the puree that comes with the canned tomatoes can help to thicken the sauce.  (For those who like thicker sauces, you can add more puree.)  

COUSCOUS ALLA TRAPANESE CON PESCE Y CALAMARI

Adapted from Chef Giuliano Bugialli
Serves 6-10

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1 large red onion

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds of canned, whole tomatoes, seeded and

     cut into large pieces, with puree

1 large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

20 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, leaves only

6 large cloves of garlic, peeled

10 very large fresh basil leaves

4 tablespoons of tomato paste

3 cups of seafood stock

Ingredients for the Fish and Calamari:

3 pounds of fish

1 pound of calamari, heads and bodies, cleaned

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

Ingredients for the Couscous:

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 cups of couscous

1 cup of water

1 cup of seafood stock

1 pinch of saffron

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. First begin preparing the sauce by heating the oil in a large saute pan.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for five minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes.

2.  Finely chop the parsley and garlic together.  Add the chopped ingredients and the whole basil leaves to the saute pan and mix very well.  Cook for 5 minutes more.  Dissolve the tomato paste in the broth and pour it into the casserole.  Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.

3.  Now prepare the couscous.  Heat the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.  When the foaming subsides, add the saffron and couscous and cook, stirring frequently until the grains are beginning to brown, about five minutes.  Add water, broth and salt, stirring briefly to combine.  Cover and remove pan from heat.  Let stand until grains are tender, about seven minutes.  Uncover and fluff grains with fork.  Season with ground pepper to taste.

4.  Taste the sauce for seasoning.  Start adding the fish.  Cook the fish for a few minutes and then add the calamari.

5.  Transfer the couscous to a platter, pour the sauce over the couscous and arrange the fish and calamari on top or on the side.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Serve hot.

ENJOY!

Brodetto alla Pescarese

This is my take on a classic Italian dish. A brodetto is a seafood stew often prepared by fishermen along the Adriatic sea using whatever fresh fish is available to them. Thus, the fish used in a brodetto almost always varies, and, to add to the complexity, a brodetto may also contain shrimp, mussels, clams and/or calamari.

The spices used in a brodetto also vary from town-to-town and region-to-region. In this recipe, I focus on spices and flavors that are emblematic of Abruzzo -- crushed red pepper and saffron. I do not provide measurements for the spices because I go by taste, adding a little at a time until I achieve the desired taste.

Enjoy.
 
BRODETTO ALLA PESCARESE
(serves approx. 6-8)
A Chef Bolek Original

2.5 pounds of fish, preferably different types (such as red snapper, bluefish, turbot and/or tilapia)
1.5 pounds of shellfish, preferably 16-20 count shrimp
2 cans of whole tomatoes (canned with tomato puree and basil)
2 cans of water
1.5 cups of a dry white wine (preferably a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo)
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium sized shallot, diced
1 large onion, sliced
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Saffron stands, to taste
Dried basil, to taste
Olive oil
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Mixed peppercorns, ground, to taste
Baguette, sliced

Pour a little olive oil into a pot and heat to medium. Add the onion and shallots and cook for a few minutes. Then add the garlic. Cook until the onions, shallots and garlic are translucent.

Add the whole tomatoes, water and the white wine. Mix the ingredients together with a slotted spoon, breaking up the tomatoes. Add the crushed red pepper, saffron, dried basil, salt and ground pepper. Continue to mix. This is the base of the brodetto and it should simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add the fish and allow the fish to cook for a few minutes. Then add the shrimp. Once the fish and shrimp are cooked through, remove the brodetto from the heat.

Toast the baguette slices and put a slice at the bottom of each bowl. Spoon the brodetto into each bowl and top the brodetto with flat leaf parsley.