Cod a la Puttanesca
an easy way to cook fish & pasta that is very hard to screw up :)
Puttanesca: “in the style of the whore”. Delicious AND salacious - right up my alley! My dad used to make me Pasta Puttanesca when I was little and we had little to nothing in the refrigerator due to a combination of money being tight and just him being a busy single dad. It uses mostly pantry items and it’s fast! The ladies of the night in Naples would whip it up in between “appointments” and the delicious wafting scent would entice customers. At least that’s the tale my dad told me and 12 year old me loved it.
The sauce is a perfect marriage of garlic, tomatoes, anchovies, olives and capers. Salty, briney and garlicky. It’s also a great canvas for adding fish to it. A can of tuna really rounds it out and sticks with the inexpensive pantry theme. But to really class it up, I serve it with roasted cod and spoon all of that beauty over some fresh pasta. This is how we sell it at Olivia’s.
The Sequence of Events:
Bring a pot of salty water to a boil
Prep all your ingredients
Season the fish and get it in the oven
Get the sauce cooking
Serve it all together with a dusting of lemon zest & parsley
What you’ll need (plus substitutions)
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
if you have a shallot laying around use it
anchovies OR anchovy paste
capers
olives (kalamata or gaeta)
tomatoes: this could be in the form of canned tomatoes or a pint of fresh cherry tomatoes. I also like canned cherry tomatoes. but nearly anything works - even tomato paste and a little water in a pinch. Trader Joe’s has a small can of small an Marzano tomatoes right now that I have been liking.
white wine: not traditional but the flavor is outstanding
parsley
lemon, for zesting (my favorite Microplane)
Cod filets (this could be a can of tuna or even calamari would be amazing )
pasta (I like a fresh pasta here but a good quality dry is also great)
Cod a la Puttanesca
serves 4
Note: these measurements are guidelines. I would love it if you DON’T measure - especially for the sauce. No need to dirty a tablespoon measure for olive oil. Use your intuition and it’s going to be amazing.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
kosher salt & ground black pepper
24 ounces (1 1/2 pounds) cod, portioned into 4 filets
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3-4 anchovy filets or a heaping teaspoon of paste
1 small shallot, sliced (optional!)
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup pitted olives, roughly chopped
14 ounce can of tomatoes (ideally san marzano or at least a product of italy), see note at the bottom for fresh tomatoes
1/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 pound fresh or dry pasta (I like linguini)
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
a lemon, to be zested as garnish (optional!)
Heat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dry the cod filets well with paper towel, then rub them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Place them on the prepapred baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness. You’ll know they are done when they are fully opaque white and look firmer.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the garlic, anchovy and shallot, if using. Season with a little salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until garlic is very lightly golden, about 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as necessary to keep it gently sizzling but not burning.) Add capers and olives and stir to combine.
Add tomatoes, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Pour in the wine and let simmer for 4-5 until the wine is cooked off and the sauce has reduced slightly. Turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, while your fish and sauce have been cooking, bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. If using fresh pasta wait to cook it until your fish and sauce are just finishing. If using dry pasta start cooking it right after you put the fish in. follow cooking instructions for either package. Drain the pasta. Two different directions - you could toss the pasta with the sauce int he skillet (I like this for dry pasta) or you could toss the pasta with some butter (I like this for fresh) and then spoon the sauce over when serving. It’s completely up to you.
To serve: serve the sauced pasta with a piece of roasted cod on top. Garnish each piece of cod with lemon zest and chopped parsley.
Note for fresh tomato: if you want to use a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them in half and add them where the instructions call for tomatoes. Add the wine and simmer until the tomatoes have softened and begin to break down. Mash them a but with a wooden spoon to release their juices.