In Italy Fish Fly on April 1st
- Pamela Marasco
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
In Italy April Fool's Day is called pesce d’aprile. Yes, pesce as in fish!
In Italy April Fool’s Day is called pesce d’aprile. Yes, pesce as in fish. Seems it has something to do with the zodiac, the changing of the seasons and the constellation Pisces. In past times Genoans were known to throw fish on April 1st. Today in Italy pranksters tag your back with paper cutouts of a pesciolino (small fish) shouting L’hai visto? Chi? Il pesce d’Aprile! (Have you seen it? - Who? The April Fish!)
Here is a recipe for our version of baked fish typical of the region of Genoa seasoned with a cook's favorite, Herbal Salt Blend from Dario Cecchini.
Fool's Day Baked Fish
Ingredients
1 whole fresh fish (sea bass, snapper), about 2 lbs., cleaned and descaled
2 large baking potatoes
1 pt of of cherry tomatoes
2 oz of pitted Taggiasca olives
1 oz pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of dry Italian white wine (Pinot Grigio, Gavi, Vermentino)
4 tablespoons of a good quality extra-virgin olive oil
spring of fresh thyme; leaves removed
Dario Cecchini Herbal Salt Blend season to taste
coarse ground black pepper season to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 390°F
Peel the potatoes, cut into slices about ¼ inch thick and parboil for a few minutes but still al dente. Cut the tomatoes in half.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper with enough overhanging the sides to wrap the fish.
Drizzle half the olive oil over the sliced potatoes and season with Dario Cecchini Herbal Salt. Spread the sliced potatoes across the baking sheet. Hide a clove of garlic in the body cavity of the fish and place the fish atop the potatoes.
Add tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and remaining 2 cloves of garlic (large dice) around the fish, pour in the wine, season with thyme and drizzle 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over all then season with herbal salt blend and pepper. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and draw up the overhanging parchment paper, folding the edges together to seal the fish inside the paper as if in a bag
Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve portions of the fish fillets with the baked vegetables on the side.
You can also buy fresh filets of fish rather than a whole fish for this recipe. Look for fish with firm flesh that springs back when pressed, a mild, fresh smell and no discoloration or drying.
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