mediterranean-style ehu with penne pasta, anchovies, and tomatoes

ok so this one was TOUGH. turned out pretty tasty but the prep was long and rushing out for groceries only to have to visit 3 different markets because each one was out of something or more was FRUSTRATING. however, i will try this again because 1) i'm trying to learn how to cook fish well, 2) it tasted pretty good, and 3) i'm competitive and will not go down like dat!

ahem. so anyway, ehu is hawaiian (i think) for red snapper. it's a very hearty dish and jeff and i were very full afterwards. the pasta sauce is so light and does not overpower the delicate fish at all. my version above is adapted from roy's fish & seafood cookbook. i forgot to buy the anchovies, thai chile (substituted red serrano) and found only thin slice pancetta vs block. a bit frustating as previously stated.

combine the following ingredients, add a couple of red snapper fillets and let marinate for 15-30 min.
1 c dry white wine (use dry, mine was too sweet and was too strong in the final taste)
1/4 c olive oil
half sliced white sweet onion (i just used regular white onions)
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup coarse chop fresh basil
leaves of 3 thyme sprigs (i omitted this b/c the market was out)

cook penne pasta according to box directions for 4. seed 3 tomatoes and puree in blender. it'll be a light pink color. set aside.

in a large saute pan, add 1/4 c olive oil and saute the following until fragrant:
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1/4 c diced pancetta
3 anchovy fillets minced
2 t minced red Thai chile
2 shallots finely sliced

then add 1 cup chopped spinach, the tomatoes, and cooked pasta. saute until for a couple more minutes and season with s/p.

fire up a non-stick grill pan, take the fish out of the marinade and grill 2-3 minutes per side until opaque. (don't overcook here and remember the fish will continue to cook after you take it off the heat)

serve pasta with a fish fillet on top.

so what took so long was the fact that i had to fillet my own fish. i bought a 2 lb red snapper from 99 ranch and had them cut off the head and clean it out. however, when i got back home, i realized i don't really know how to fillet a fish. i've seen it done and of course it always looks so much easier than it really is. but i made it through eventually, altho making a huge mess since some scales were still stuck after the fish monger had scaled it. grrr.... i think next time i'm just going to get some TJ frozen fillets instead. that would've saved about 10 frustrating minutes.

the pasta is great. light, fresh, flavorful. i will definitely use it as a base for other recipes. the "spruce up bottle of jarred sauce" thing was getting old. i had to add quite a bit of salt since i forgot the anchovies. it was also pretty spicy but not overly so. as for the fish, you could definitely taste the wine in the marinade, which i think was a little too much. i'll avoid this by choosing a drier wine. in the end, the marinade is all aromatics, and you can totally get away with not making such an elaborate marinade. but it's fun to try it once.

so even though i was tired and frustrated by this dish, it wasn't necessary the recipe that did me in but the grocery runSSS and filleting my own fish. i'll report again on the success of the 2nd run.