Today's recipe speaks Sicilian, nay Mai: Sicilian spatula fish chops. And there's also a little VIDEO TUTORIAL starring my mom who prepares this traditional recipe. As you will know if you have read my article on the fish spatula and 8 recipes to try with this delicious and so loved fish between Sicily and Calabria, the spatula (or flag fish or saber fish), it is a lean blue fish with white, firm meats, with a few bones, especially in the area of the Strait of Messina and therefore in Sicily and Calabria, in addition to Salento and Campania. The spatula is in season especially between June and September, months in which it can also be found in fish markets in other regions, like Lazio, Sardinia, Tuscany.
Meat or fish chops, Messina tradition
On the other hand, chops are perhaps Messina's most representative dish, my hometown. Nate meat-based, the classic 'spitini’ or BRACIOLETTINE TO MESSINESE, they are also loved by fish. Especially with the SWORDFISH and with the spatula. If you haven't tried them yet, you absolutely have to do it, especially since on my YouTube channel you also find the VIDEO RECIPE Meat chops to Mexican.
Cooking fish chops spatula
The stuffing of Sicilian spatula fish chops is very similar to that of GIRELLE OF SPATULA: breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, Capers, extra virgin olive oil, pecorino siciliano, salt and chopped tomatoes. Fish spatula rolls are very easy to prepare, the only difficulty you might encounter is finding who fills your spatula to perfection. But, passed this little rock, preparation is fast. As for cooking methods, you can cook the spatula fish chops either grilled or grilled, as usual. But even in oven preheated at 200 degrees static. Put them in a lightly oiled pan with extra virgin olive oil and cook for 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking. They must be golden out but soft and juicy inside. Have a good day!
SICILIAN SPATULA SPATULA FISH CHOPS
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INGREDIENTS
- 16 pieces of spatula fish, already filleted, 10 centimeters each about
- 100 grams of stale bread crumbs
- 40 grams of pecorino Dop or grated Sicilian cheese
- 1 ripe tomato
- salt and pepper, to taste
- extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- chopped parsley, to taste
- Capers in salt, to taste
PROCEEDINGS
Wash and dry the spatula fish. Check that there are no bones and, possibly, remove them with tweezth. Spread the pieces of fish on a chopping board with the silvery part of the skin facing up.
For the filling, put the stale grated bread in a bowl, pecorino, finely chopped garlic and parsley. Combine the coarsely chopped capers. Peel the tomato, cut it into cubes and add it to the stuffing of the spatula fish chops along with its vegetation water, that will moisten the dough. Add as much extra virgin olive oil as necessary to obtain a soft and garnet mixture, like what you see in the VIDEO.
Taste the dough and adjust the salt: If you want, you can also increase the amount of pecorino instead of adding salt. Put some’ to stuff it on the fillet of spatula, placing it in the part of the thread closest to you, then roll the fish on itself, be careful that the stuffing doesn't come out of the sides. Place the roll in a long wooden skewer. Continue with the other fillets, putting 4-5 in each skewer.
Once you have completed all the spatula fish chops, knead them in the remaining stuffing that, being impregnated with oil, will make it easier to cook fish and give it a golden crust.
You can cook the Sicilian spatula fish chops on the grill, cooking that certainly more closely mirrors the traditional one. Or grilled, on the stove: preheat the grill and cook the chops over low heat for 7-8 minutes per side or until golden brown. The spatula is a fish that cooks in a very short time and always stays soft. If you want, you can also bake them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees, putting them on a lightly oil-equal baking tray and turning them halfway through cooking. Serve with a tomato salad, garlic and Basil. Bon appétit!
