For ➍4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 l water****
2 tbs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
12 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
¼ ts red pepper flakes*
1 ts sea salt
2 tbs fresh oregano
1 kg sea bass or red snapper fillets**
You need an ovenproof pan, deep and large enough to hold the fish in one layer and contain the boiling water.
Add the water, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper, oregano and salt to the pan. Put on heat.
Turn the heat to medium and allow the water to simmer for 20 m.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200° C.
Put the fish in the pan skin side down. Make sure it is covered by the water.
Put pan in the oven and cook for about 15-20 m.***
A few m before serving, add the parsley.
Put the fish on warm plates, with a little bit of the liquid and some tomatoes.
Serve with good tasty bread, that will absorb some of the liquid. A dry white wine, preferably South Italian or Sicilian, will make a nice companion.
*Use dried red peppers instead, or chop some peperoncini.
**Use any firm white fish, like codfish (merluzzetti).
***Another method keeps the pan on the stove, covers it and let the fish slowly cook for 15 m or so.
****Reduce the amount of water to get a thicker sauce.
The 'acqua pazza', meaning crazy water, is a method rather than a strict recipe. It is known all over the South of Italy as a kind of fish stew. (In Tuscany, a soup is called aqua pazza, but that is a different thing.) The name seems to be derived from a dish conceived by Neapolitan fishermen of the Isle of Ponza, before the coast of Naples. To avoid paying taxes on salt, an expensive state monopoly in the late 19th century, they went crazy and used salty seawater to cook fish. (No one uses seawater anymore, just add salt to the water...).
Depending on the kind of fish, the added ingredients might vary. Add fennel for instance or grilled artichokes. Replace some of the water with some white wine.
Try the posh gamberoni all'acqua pazza with shrimps, and fennel.
