Best Olive Oil Poached Fish With Pasta Recipes

OLIVE-OIL-POACHED FISH WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Steam the oysters in a little water, 1/4 inch or less, just until they're easy to open. When they're cool enough to handle, open them and cut the meats in half. Meanwhile, cook the squids in the same liquid just until opaque, less than 2 minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon and reserve the liquid. Turn off the heat.
• Set a big pot of water to boil for the pasta and salt it. In a broad skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and thyme and turn the heat to medium-low. Gently cook all the fish and scallops in the oil, in batches if necessary, flipping and turning as needed. Don't rush and don't worry about browning anything; just cook until each piece is tender, which will be different for each fish, but not more than 10 minutes for any. Do not overcook. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the garlic behind. (Discard the thyme.) Season with salt and pepper and put on a platter with the lemon wedges and chopped parsley. Drizzle with oil.
• Add the tomatoes and cayenne to the oil and cook at a lively pace, stirring occasionally, until saucy, 10 to 12 minutes. Start the pasta in the meantime. When the tomatoes are ready, stir in the reserved cooking liquid, oysters and squid and cook a bit longer, another 3 or 4 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
• When the pasta is almost tender, drain it and toss it with the sauce and the basil; cook another minute or so until the pasta is ready. Serve the pasta in bowls, and pass plates on the side for the fish.

OVEN-POACHED FISH IN OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Chop half of capers and pat fish dry. Sprinkle fish with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and let stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Arrange half of lemon slices in 1 layer in an 8-inch square glass baking dish and arrange fish in 1 layer over lemon. Top with all of capers, remaining lemon slices, and 3 tablespoons parsley, then pour oil over fish. Bake in middle of oven, uncovered, until fish just flakes and is cooked through, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Serve fish with some of lemon slices, capers, and oil spooned over. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon parsley.

OLIVE OIL-POACHED COD

Steps:

• For the poached cod: Pat the cod dry with a paper towel, sprinkle it with salt and black pepper and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
• Heat a deep medium nonstick or enamel skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coriander seeds and pink peppercorns and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Slowly add the olive oil and bring the oil to 180 degrees F. Carefully add the cod to the oil. The cod should be fully submerged; if it's not, gently flip the fillets halfway through cooking, or add more oil to the skillet. Cook until the cod is opaque, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for the dressing: Combine the creme fraiche, buttermilk, vinegar, cilantro and peppercorns in a blender and puree. Add salt to taste.
• For the avocado salad: Combine the avocado, radishes, shallot and teardrop peppers in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a splash of champagne vinegar and toss gently; stir in the cilantro.
• Using a fish spatula, transfer the cod to a paper towel-lined plate. Place 1 piece of cod in the center of each of serving plates. Tuck the avocado salad next to the cod. Drizzle the salad with dressing and top with the crushed fried onions.

SPICY FISH AND OLIVE SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions; drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss the spaghetti with some oil and set aside.
• Add the oil, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt and crushed red pepper to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the tomatoes, reserved pasta water and oregano; bring to a high simmer and cook until the sauce thickens but is still loose, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Add the fish and olives and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fish is cooked through and flaky, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spaghetti and parsley. Toss to combine and divide among four bowls.

SPAGHETTI WITH OLIVE-OIL-POACHED TUNA IN TOMATO-FENNEL SAUCE

Steps:

• FOR THE TUNA
• Add the fennel seeds to a small sauté pan and bring to medium-high heat. (You need toasted fennel seeds for both the tuna and the sauce, so toss 2 tablespoons in the pan now and save a step later!) Toast the fennel seeds, shaking the pan frequently, until they are very aromatic and start to turn a brighter shade of green, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and grind the seeds in a spice grinder or crush with a mortar and pestle.
• Season the tuna belly with salt, red pepper, and half the ground fennel seeds (you're saving the other half for the sauce).
• Preheat the oven to 200°F.
• Put the tuna in a medium ovenproof saucepan and cover with olive oil. Toss in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme bundle. Cover and put in the oven; cook for 1 hour. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.
• FOR THE SAUCE AND PASTA
• Coat a large wide saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and fennel; season with salt and red pepper and bring to medium heat. Cook the veggies until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, the reserved tablespoon of toasted fennel seeds, and 1 cup water to the pan and season with salt. Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS); simmer for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest. Taste it: It should be toothsome with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the center-this is al dente.
• Remove the tuna from the olive oil, break it up, and add it to the sauce.
• Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce; stir vigorously to combine. Add a drizzle of big fat finishing oil and serve garnished with fennel fronds.
• YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY SAN MARZANO
• San Marzano tomatoes are, as the name suggests, from San Marzano, Italy, outside of Naples. Sweet and delicious, these canned tomatoes are naturally very low in acid. Sometimes you'll notice people add a pinch of sugar to tomatoes when making sauce-this is not to sweeten the sauce so much as to offset the acid in the tomatoes. When you're using San Marzano tomatoes, this isn't necessary because they're naturally super-sweet and low in acid. However, for this same reason, they need a lot of salt to bring out their best flavor . . . accept it and move on.
• San Marzano tomatoes are perfect for sauce, and they work beautifully with my favorite piece of kitchen equipment: the food mill. It's super-old school but I love using a food mill to purée tomatoes because it lets the seeds slip through, leaving all the big-money stuff up top. Remember, when you put your tomatoes through a food mill, be sure to scrape the pulp off the bottom to get every last bit of tomato-y goodness! This is the stuff that will help thicken the sauce, so you don't want to leave it behind. Got it?

TOMATO-POACHED FISH WITH CHILE OIL AND HERBS

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet (use one with a lid) over medium-high. Add garlic and shallots and cook, swirling the skillet constantly until they start to toast and turn light golden brown, 2 minutes or so. Add red-pepper flakes and swirl to toast for a few seconds. Remove from heat and transfer all but 1 tablespoon of the chile oil to a small bowl.
• Add tomatoes to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until they burst and start to become saucy and jammy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add fish sauce, if using, and 1 1/2 cups water, swirling to release any of the bits stuck on the bottom of the skillet.
• Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened but still nice and brothy, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently lay the pieces in the brothy tomatoes. Cover the skillet and cook until the fish is opaque and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes (slightly longer for a thicker piece of fish, like halibut).
• To serve, transfer fish and brothy tomatoes to a large shallow bowl or divide among four bowls. Drizzle with reserved chile oil, more olive oil and the crispy shallots and garlic. Top with cilantro and mint, and serve with limes for squeezing over the top. Serve with tortillas, toast or rice, if you like.

OLIVE OIL-POACHED SALMON

Steps:

• Combine thyme, rosemary, garlic and oil in a pot just wide enough to hold fish in a single layer without touching. (When fish is added, oil should cover it, so it is better to use more oil than not enough.) Peel 1 lemon, using a vegetable peeler to remove yellow part only, in strips. Add peel to oil. Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Fit skillet with a deep-frying thermometer and heat oil to 180 degrees over medium-low heat. Reduce heat and monitor temperature, adjusting until temperature is a stable 180, with small bubbles occasionally rising to surface.
• When temperature is stable, add fish. Oil temperature will drop, so raise heat slightly (never above medium-low) just until it reaches 180 again; then reduce.
• Cook fish 13 to 15 minutes, until top is completely opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, let drain. Place on serving platter, sprinkle with herbs, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

PAN SEARED LEMON TILAPIA WITH PARMESAN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the macaroni uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of the tilapia fillets with lemon juice, oregano, basil, cilantro, salt, and pepper, and lay the fillets in the heated skillet, making sure they don't touch. Sear the fillets for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until the fish is golden brown on the outside, and opaque and flaky inside.
• Return the hot, cooked macaroni to the saucepan, and stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pasta. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, stir to mix, and stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, the garlic powder, basil, oregano, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Divide the pasta between two plates, and top each with a tilapia fillet.