Ingredients
| pinch of saffron threads | |
| 250ml (1 cup) hot water | |
| 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil | |
| 20g unsalted butter | |
| 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped | |
| sea salt | |
| ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes | |
| 125ml (½ cup) dry white wine | |
| 200g canned whole peeled tomatoes | |
| 3 parsley sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stalks reserved | |
| 400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed | |
| 600g skinless fillets of firm white fish, cut into 3cm pieces | |
| juice of 1 lemon | |
| crusty bread or soft polenta, to serve |
Poaching is a beautiful way to cook fish quickly. This is such a flavourful dish and comes together without much effort at all. Serve this with crusty bread or creamy polenta and the meal is complete.
Instructions
| 1. | Place the saffron threads in a small bowl and cover with the hot water. Set aside to steep for 10 minutes. |
| 2. | Meanwhile, warm the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over a low heat. |
| 3. | Add the garlic, a pinch of salt and the chilli flakes and gently cook for 3 minutes. You don’t want the garlic to colour. |
| 4. | Increase the heat to medium and pour in the wine, allowing it to simmer for 1 minute. |
| 5. | Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon, along with the parsley stalks, chickpeas and the saffron and water. |
| 6. | Allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. |
| 7. | Add the fish and poach for around 5 minutes until just cooked through. |
| 8. | Remove the parsley stalks and discard. |
| 9. | Season to taste. Scatter with the chopped parsley leaves and finish with a good squeeze of lemon juice. |
| 10. | Serve with crusty bread or on a bed of creamy polenta. |
An edited extract from A Year of Simple Family Food by Julia Busuttil Nishimura.
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