Tomato Bluefish Pasta Recipes

TOMATO AND GARLIC PASTA

Steps:

• Place tomatoes in a kettle, and cover with cold water. Bring just to the boil. Pour off water, and cover again with cold water. Peel. Cut into small pieces.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The garlic should just become opaque, not brown. Stir in the tomato paste. Immediately stir in the tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready; add the basil.
• Drain the pasta, but do not rinse in cold water. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and then mix into the sauce. Reduce the heat as low as possible. Keep warm, uncovered, for about 10 minutes when it is ready to serve. Garnish generously with fresh Parmesan cheese.
• VARIATIONS: Saute fresh quartered mushrooms with the garlic, or add shoestring zucchini along with the tomato.

CLASSIC TOMATO SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Pick the basil leaves onto a chopping board (reserving a few baby leaves to garnish), then roughly chop the remaining leaves and finely chop the stalks.
• Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic. If using fresh, cut the tomatoes in half, then roughly chop them or carefully open the tins of tomatoes.
• Put a saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the onion, then cook for around 7 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden.
• Stir in the garlic and basil stalks for a few minutes, then add the fresh or tinned tomatoes and the vinegar.
• Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, then continue cooking for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the chopped basil leaves, then reduce to low and leave to tick away. Meanwhile...
• Carefully fill a large pot three-quarters of the way up with boiling water, add a tiny pinch of salt and bring back to the boil.
• Add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions - you want to cook your pasta until it is al dente. This translates as 'to the tooth' and means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of a bite and firmness to it. Use the timings on the packet instructions as a guide, but try some just before the time is up to make sure it's perfectly cooked.
• Once the pasta is done, ladle out and reserve a cup of the cooking water and keep it to one side, then drain in a colander over the sink and tip the spaghetti back into the pot.
• Stir the spaghetti into the sauce, adding a splash of the pasta water to loosen, if needed.
• Serve with the reserved basil leaves sprinkled over the top and use a microplane to finely grate the Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle over.

FRESH TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
• Coarsely chop the tomato and transfer to a small bowl. Sprinkle the tomato chunks with basil, olive oil, and salt. Set aside.
• Once the water is boiling, stir in the rigatoni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander, and then return the pasta to the pot.
• Pour the tomato mixture over the pasta and toss to mix.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH TOMATO AND HERBS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Line rack of a broiler pan with foil.
• Put fish skin sides down on foil and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, and chives in a small bowl. Spread evenly over fish, then cover with tomato slices, overlapping slightly, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Broil fish 3 to 4 inches from heat until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

TOMATO-BLUEFISH PASTA

Steps:

• On the stove, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Trim fennel by removing the feathery tops. Chop tops finely and reserve. Cut fennel bulb in half through the core. Slice each half through the core into 4 wedges.
• In a glass or ceramic oval dish (11 by 9 by 2 inches), stir fennel, olive oil, onion and garlic until vegetables are coated with oil. Push vegetables to the sides of the dish, leaving the center empty. Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent for 4 minutes.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water.
• Pour tomatoes into the center of the dish of vegetables. Sprinkle reserved fennel tops and capers over tomatoes. Sprinkle a small amount of black pepper on top. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent for 5 minutes.
• Carefully uncover the dish. Arrange fish fillets spoke-fashion over tomatoes and vegetables. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent for 5 minutes.
• When pasta is cooked, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water and pour it into a large bowl. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl. Gently set the fish fillets on top of the pasta, arranging them around the sides of the bowl. Place vegetables in the center.
• Taste the tomato sauce and season with lemon juice and salt, if desired. Pour sauce over all. Work a small wooden spoon down into the spaghetti in several places so some of the tomato sauce trickles down. Serve immediately.

BLUEFISH WITH FENNEL AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Discard the feathery green tops of the fennel, core and cut the bulb into 1inch pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 9inch skillet. Add the fennel, garlic, orange rind, fennel seeds, liquor, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes add the tomatoes, recover and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Remove the cover and check the liquid in the pan. If there is a good deal remaining, evaporate it until the mixture look syrupy. Remove the orange rind. Turn the heat off and stir in the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper; cool to room temperature.
• Season the bluefish fillets with salt and pepper, and set them, skin side down in a generously buttered baking/serving dish large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer. Spoon the cooled vegetable mixture over the fish, cover with foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
• To bake and serve, remove the fish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake 20 to 25 minutes covered with foil until the center no longer looks translucent but opaque. Remove from oven and serve; garnish with yellow bell pepper and chives.

BROILED BLUEFISH WITH TOMATO, OLIVE, AND CAPER COMPOTE

Steps:

• Make the compote. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and celery, season with pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives, and capers and cook, stirring, until hot, about 2 minutes more.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Set aside covered with foil to keep warm.
• Place a rack 5 inches from the broiler element and preheat.
• Prepare the fish. Using a sharp knife, slash the bluefish skin to form cross-hatch marks. Transfer the fillets to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush all over with the oil. Season with salt and generously with pepper. Broil the fish skin-side down, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. (If the skin comes loose during cooking, you may remove and discard it.)
• Using a metal spatula, transfer the fillets to 4 warmed plates and top with the compote. Serve immediately.