Sicilian style Scorfani

Ingredients for 4 people: 

4 scorfani (scorpion fish) of around 300g each, three beefsteak tomatoes, 20 crushed and pitted Gaeta olives, 1 tablespoon of unsalted saline capers, 1 small Tropea onion, a small piece of chili pepper, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oi and salt as needed.

Directions: 

Gut the scorfani, cut off their sharp fins, scale and rinse under running water.

Parboil, peel and remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut into pieces. Slice the onion thin and sauté it in a pan with two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and then add the olives, capers and tomatoes, salt and cook for a few minutes with the chili pepper.

Add the scorfani to the sauce, pour over two ladles of fish broth or, if that is not available, just water then cover and cook for 20 minutes. Delicately turn the fish over when they are half-cooked, adding some more fish broth is necessary and continue cooking uncovered. Salt to taste once done.

Serve the fish hot and covered in their sauce accompanied by croutons.

Wine to pair: 

San Sisto Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Classico Riserva DOCG Fazi Battaglia 

A wine that sets the bar for Verdicchio. It has a bold, straw-yellow color with golden reflections that appear after the wine has aged a few years in the bottle. The bouquet has intense and complex aromas with fruity scents harmoniously and elegantly blending with notes of vanilla and peanut butter, typical of the use of oak. The mouthfeel is bold with intense flavors and a capacity to age that is rare for a white, on the same level as the great international wines.

Area of production: Castelplanio with the grapes from a 30-hectare vineyard in the district of San Sisto at an altitude of 350m above sea level. Twelve hectares of this vineyard were set aside for this cru according to their ideal soil composition and microclimate. The vines are vertically trained on trellises with a density of 3,000 vines per hectare which produce 2.5kg of grapes per plant for a maximum of 7,500kg per hectare.

Grape varieties: 100% Verdicchio

Winemaking method: The grapes are carefully selected and attention to detail is paid at every stage up to the choice of barrels and period of aging. Fermentation takes place in French-oak barriques which are weighed out between being used the first, second and third time and where San Sisto then ages for 10-12months. The wine then ages a further year in the bottle.

Alcoholic content: 13.5%

Serving temperature: 12-14°C

Food pairing: ideal to pair with seafood first courses with homemade past, baked fish and white meat in general.

THIS RECIPE IS OFFERED BY FAZI BATTAGLIA