Spelt salad with fish and zucchini

A very pleasing summer salad that we pair with an Abruzzo Pecorino Bianchi Grilli per la Testa 2021 Torre dei Beati

Ingredients for 4 people:

200g spelt, 400g MSC certified cod filets, 300g zucchini, 40g dried tomatoes, 50g pitted taggiasche olives, 2 spring onions, 1 tablespoon salted capers, 1 garlic clove, 30g fresh mint leaves, 1 glass white wine (preferably the wine being paired), extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Directions:

Rinse the spelt under running water, boil it in a pan in ample salted water following the directions on the package. Drain the spelt, mix in a little EVOO and then spread it out on a platter to cool.

Put the dried tomatoes in a bowl with boiling water and let them sit for 5 minutes. Press dry once they are soft.  

Clean the spring onions, removing the roots and outer leaves and keep the tender green part aside. Chop some of the onion very finely and the rest into bigger pieces.

Rinse the salted capers in cold water to eliminate the salt. 

Prepare a pesto by blending together 6 tablespoons of EVOO, the bigger pieces of spring onion, the unsalted capers, the softened dried tomatoes, the pitted taggiasche olives and the fresh mint.

Clean the zucchini, cut them into cubes and put them in a pan with the finely chopped spring onion and 4 tablespoons of EVOO and sauté at a low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Season the cold spelt with the pesto, leaving some of it to season the fish.

Peel the garlic clove, chop it finely and sauté it in a pan with 2 tablespoons of EVOO.

Cut the cod into pieces that are not too small and add them to the pan with the garlic and sauté quickly for 2 minutes, stirring them in order to brown the fish on all sides. Add in the dry white wine and let it evaporate. Remove the heat and season the cod with the leftover pesto.

Serve the cold spelt with on top the sautéd zucchini, fish and a few fresh mint leaves,

This recipe is from the MSC Marine Stewardship Council cookbook. MSC certified fish, like the cod used in this salad, respect the oceans because they are fished in a sustainable way, according to MSC Standards, and they can be recognized by the blue MSC seal on the package.

Wine to pair:

(by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Abruzzo Pecorino Bianchi Grilli per la Testa 2021 Torre dei Beati

Golden straw color. Intense nose with Mediterranean and tropical flowers and fruit. Followed by cedar, ginger, herbs and a balsamic spiciness. Fresh and soft at the same time, savory, fruity and supple-bodied.

Production area: Contrada Poggioragone, in Loreto Aprutino (PE), from a 0.5 Ha vineyard located at an altitude of 300 m/asl with eastern exposure and clay-limestone soil on sandy substrate. 

Grape variety: 100% Pecorino, counter-espalier training and guyot pruning, density of 5000 vines/Ha and planting layout of 2.50×0.80. The yield per hectare is 40 hl.

Vinification: in barrique with 11 months of maturation on the lees and 8 months aging in bottle.

Alcohol content: 13.5-14% vol.

Serving temperature: 13°C.

Recommended food pairings: traditional stewed cod, "cace e ove" lamb, intense cheeses, even aged cheeses. 

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