COD CARPACCIO WITH ITALIAN FLAVOURS

Thin slices of raw cod marinated in pesto and served with a tomato and arugula salad.

A light, fresh and inviting dish, which is prepared in a short time. Just slices of raw fish, a sauce based on oil, lemon, mustard or mayonnaise. Here are some tips. At the beginning it was the carpaccio only and only of meat. History tells us that to invent this dish was Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry's Bar in Venice, who, to please the Venetian countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo to whom the doctor had recommended a very strict diet, based, among other things, on raw meat, invented a condiment with mayonnaise, mustard and Worcestershire sauce to serve very thinly sliced beef fillet. And since in those days in Venice there was talk of nothing but a beautiful exhibition of Carpaccio, Cipriani decided to give this name to his creation, finding nuances of reds and yellows so similar to those present in the paintings of the Venetian painter. 

Over the years, fish has also been used to prepare the carpaccio, fillets of sea bass, swordfish, salmon, sea bream, all well cleaned and barbed and left in the refrigerator to macerate with emulsions of oil and lemon or sauces based on mayonnaise and mustard. They serve a few but selected ingredients: fresh and battered fish, a good quality olive oil and spices or fragrant aromatic herbs. Here are some suggestions to bring to the table a fish carpaccio that you can serve both as an appetizer and as a second course.

Snapper carpaccio with mint sauce

Take 300 g of snapper fillets, cut them very thin, sprinkle with lemon juice and leave them in the refrigerator. Separately put the bread crumbs to macerate in a bowl sprinkled with vinegar, remove it, squeeze it and chop it in a mortar with 2 anchovies, 1 tablespoon of capers, one of sugar and two of oil. Add a few leaves of chopped parsley and fresh mint, stir and let the sauce rest for at least 30 minutes. Then wet the slices of snapper with the mint sauce and let it rest in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Carpaccio of sea bream, peaches and lime

Clean and dry the sea bream fillets, remove the skin and all the thorns and leave them to rest in the refrigerator. Separately take a walnut peach, clean it and cut it into thin slices. In a bowl mix the juice of half a lime, grated ginger, a clove of garlic cut into slices, pink pepper, salt and oil. Emulsify and spread over the slices of sea bream, leaving everything to macerate for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Before serving, arrange the peach slices on a plate, lay the fish seasoned with the sauce on top and bring to the table.

Swordfish carpaccio and olives

For a dip in the flavors of Sicilian cuisine, prepare thin slices of swordfish, season with lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pit a handful of olives both black and green and cover with these fish fillets. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour. At the time of serving, place spinach seasoned with oil and salt on a serving plate and place the slices of swordfish seasoned with olives on top. You can accompany with toasted croutons and sprinkled with oil.

Sword and eggplant carpaccio

Another tribute to Sicilian flavors: first slice an eggplant into squares, brown it in plenty of oil and leave it aside. In a saucepan, fry sliced onion, celery cut into rounds, a tablespoon of tomato sauce, a few toasted pine nuts, green olives cut into small pieces, a teaspoon of desalted capers and squeezed sultanas. Cook for a few minutes and then add the aubergines. Slice the swordfish and arrange it on a serving plate. Season the fish with a teaspoon of soy sauce and then cover it with eggplant sauce. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.