CookEat Recipe
Braised Pike with Marsala
Pike pieces larded with cured fatback and gently braised in a finely chopped vegetable and tomato sauce, finished with Marsala.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 food-grade pike, about 650 g whole weight before cleaning; About 30 g plain cured pork fatback, cut into 8 slender strips; 25 g onion; 1 small garlic clove; 1 celery stalk, about 30 g; 20 g carrot; 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 200 g ripe tomatoes; 15 g butter; 10 g plain flour; 1 tablespoon Marsala; A little water as needed; Salt and black pepper.
Step 2
Have a fishmonger scale and gut the pike, remove its head and tail, and cut the body into four pieces. Do not retain the entrails or reproductive organs. Use fish sold for food; for locally caught freshwater fish follow the consumption advisory for its waterbody. Check carefully for the pike’s numerous bones while preparing and serving.
Step 3
Season the 8 fatback strips sparingly with salt and pepper. Using a larding needle, insert two strips lengthwise into each piece of fish, then keep chilled while preparing the sauce. Chop the tomatoes, simmer for 15–20 minutes until soft and pass through a sieve to make a plain tomato sauce.
Step 4
Mince the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and parsley very finely. Heat the oil in a wide pan and cook this mixture until lightly coloured, then add the plain tomato sauce and enough water to make a loose braising sauce. Season lightly. Knead the butter and flour together, whisk small pieces into the simmering sauce and cook for 3–5 minutes until lightly thickened. Do not strain out the finely chopped vegetables.
Step 5
Add the larded fish pieces and simmer gently for about 15–20 minutes, turning carefully, until the fish is cooked through and reaches at least 74°C beside the fatback channels. Add the tablespoon Marsala for the last 3–5 minutes and serve with the sauce, checking for bones. Four portions are small.
Step 6
If Marsala is unavailable, use 1 tablespoon wine at the same final stage. For tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes, use 1 tablespoon paste diluted in about 150 ml water and omit the tomato cooking and straining step.
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