kawahagi in umido

recipe courtesy of chefs Toby Gush & Gordon Lee of Chianti

“in umido” in Italian, means “stewed”

takes 1 hour
makes 2 serves

2 x kawahagi trunks skinned and gutted and cut into 8 pieces (on the bone)
1 red onion peeled and sliced
1 small celery stick sliced
1/2 small bulb fennel sliced
2 clove garlic finely chopped
1 small hot birdseye chilli chopped
200g tomato passata
1 punnet cherry tomatoes cut in half
100ml red wine
100g Kalamata olives
100g flour
1 sprig fennel herb
2 sprigs picked basil
olive oil
celery salt
pepper

in a large fry pan cook the onions in olive oil, pinch of salt, fresh cracked black pepper, until golden and soft. add in chilli, garlic and basil, stir through. let fry for another minute. add celery and fennel and cook for about five minute until all juices have almost evaporated and the vegetables are going golden. add in half of the cherry tomatoes. cook for another minute. deglaze with red wine and reduce by 3/4 then add passata and about 200ml water. stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.

coat kawahagi in flour, season with celery salt and in a separate pan, fry with olive oil. cook for a minute each side until golden and then lift out and place into the sauce. cover with a lid and poach gently for approx. 8 mins to finish cooking the fish through.

in the pan used to fry the fish, toss in the remainder of the cherry tomatoes and fry until they start to break down slightly. season with celery salt and freshly cracked black pepper. toss in olives, basil and fennel herb. set aside and keep warm.

lift out the kawahagi and place in serving bowl. reduce sauce further if needed before spooning over the fish. garnish with the sautéed cherry tomatoes and olives.

note: fennel herb can be substituted with dill if need be.