Balsamic Caper And Anchovy Marinade For Fish Recipes

BALSAMIC, CAPER, AND ANCHOVY MARINADE

Steps:

• Whisk together all of the ingredients in a medium nonreactive bowl. Use marinade immediately.

SALMON WITH CAPER-ANCHOVY BUTTER

Steps:

• Blend first 7 ingredients in food processor. Add butter and process until well blended. Season to taste with salt. Lay sheet of plastic wrap on work surface. Transfer butter mixture to plastic wrap and roll to form 9-inch-long log. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. (Caper-anchovy butter can be prepared 1 week ahead. Keep frozen. Let butter soften slightly before using.) Position oven rack about 6 inches below broiler; preheat broiler. Place salmon fillets on broiler pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil salmon until just cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plates. Cut caper-anchovy butter into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Top each salmon fillet with 2 slices butter (reserve any remaining butter for another use). Serve salmon fillets hot.

SEARED HALIBUT WITH ANCHOVIES, CAPERS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat, and leave it there until hot. Add oil and butter together. Butter should sizzle. When butter foam subsides, add fish, and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Brown fish, basting with pan juices, then turn, and brown again. Do not worry about cooking through. Turn off heat, put fish on an ovenproof plate, and place it in oven.
• Turn heat under skillet to medium, and add anchovies and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies break up, just a couple of minutes. Add capers and wine, and turn heat to high. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Return fish and its juices to pan, and turn it in sauce once or twice. Fish should be cooked through by now. (A thin-bladed knife inserted into its thickest part will meet little resistance.)
• Taste sauce, add some lemon juice, then taste again. It should be strong-tasting but only mildly acidic. Remove fish to serving plate, spoon sauce on top, and garnish with parsley.

MARINATED FRESH ANCHOVIES (ALICI MARINATI)

Steps:

• Using scissors, trim the fins off of all the anchovies. Using a sharp paring knife, slit each fish along the belly from head to tail; remove the entrails and rinse well. Cut off the heads and carefully pull out the spine and pin bones from the top with your index finger and thumbnail. Separate the two fillets and rinse again. Arrange a layer of the fillets in a deep oval gratin dish and sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Continue until all the fish fillets are used, then pour the rest of the vinegar over the fish. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
• Remove the anchovies from the vinegar, rinse, and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Wash out the dish and dry well. Return a single layer of cured anchovies to the dish and sprinkle with 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil, a pinch of oregano, a pinch of pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley, three or four garlic slices, and a pinch of salt. Layer in the rest of the anchovies, sprinkling each layer with oil, oregano, pepper flakes, parsley, garlic, and salt. Cover again and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• To serve, bring anchovies to just below room temperature (in Italy they would be served at about 58°F). Remove from the oil and arrange six or seven on each plate with a lemon wedge if desired.

PAN-SEARED SWORDFISH STEAKS WITH SHALLOT, CAPER, AND BALSAMIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat swordfish dry and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté shallots with salt to taste, stirring, 1 minute. Push shallots to side of skillet. Add swordfish and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn fish over and add wine, vinegar, capers, and water. Simmer mixture 3 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through.
• Transfer fish to 2 plates and stir parsley into sauce. Spoon sauce over fish.

SALMON WITH ANCHOVY-GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mash together butter, anchovies, garlic, salt and pepper.
• In a large ovenproof skillet, melt about half the anchovy butter. Add fish, skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes over high heat to brown the skin, spooning some pan drippings over the top of the fish as it cooks. Add capers to bottom of pan and transfer to oven. Roast until fish is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and add remaining anchovy butter to pan to melt. Place salmon on plates and spoon buttery pan sauce over the top. Squeeze the lemon half over the salmon and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.