Focaccia with swordfish and eggplant, a gourmet focaccia expertly prepared with biga, a refined focaccia of unique lightness and softness, which will amaze you, simply but elegantly filled with expertly seasoned grilled eggplants to match the marinated smoked swordfish. The smoked swordfish is store-bought, so you only need to focus on the focaccia dough, and while the focaccia bakes in the oven, it will be a moment to prepare the marinade for the swordfish. This focaccia is so good it will be perfect for serving at aperitifs and holiday appetizers, Christmas is near, so it’s a good idea to plan a rich holiday menu with delicious homemade dishes, even in advance, retaining its goodness if well made for up to 3 days. Just heat it briefly before filling and serving it, for an aperitif cut into small pieces. Let’s see how to prepare this focaccia with biga.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 2 focaccias
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for focaccia with swordfish and eggplant
- 4 1/3 cups pizza flour (type 0)
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 tsp fresh yeast
- biga
- 2 cups pizza flour (type 0)
- 1 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 1/3 tbsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 1/3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste coarse salt
- 1 onion
- to taste oregano
- 1 eggplant
- 7 oz smoked swordfish
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste orange juice
Tools for preparing focaccia with swordfish and eggplant
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Dough Scraper
- 2 Baking Sheets
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Spoon
Steps to prepare focaccia with swordfish and eggplant
Let’s start preparing the dough for the focaccia. It’s an indirect dough, as it is divided into 2 phases; in the first, we prepare the biga. Dissolve the yeast in cold water, add the flour, mix to obtain a rough and dry dough, cover, and let it rest for about 24 hours at 55°F. It’s fine to keep part of it in the fridge and part outside.
Second phase dough preparation. Break the biga into pieces and place it in the stand mixer, work with very cold water and flour, finally add oil and salt and work for a long time to obtain a nice ball that comes off the mixer. Cover and let rise again in a cool place, at a temperature below 54°F, it will take 12 to 24 hours to rise, depending on if you also put it in the fridge, adjust according to needs.
When the dough is well risen, take it and divide it into 2 balls. Close them well and let them rise on a floured surface for a couple of hours.
When the balls are risen, roll them out on a floured surface and place them on a non-stick baking sheet of 12.6 inches in diameter. If the baking sheet is not non-stick, sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil. Let it rest for at least half an hour.
Season with the water and oil mixture, make dimples with your fingers, and add coarse salt and oregano, if you like, also sliced onion. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, even two trays at a time in a hot ventilated oven at 482°F.
Meanwhile, wash, slice, and grill an eggplant. Season it after grilling with a bit of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and a bit of oregano.
Also prepare the smoked swordfish marinated with a little extra virgin olive oil and orange juice and some apple cider vinegar.
Once you take the focaccias out of the oven, top with the eggplants and marinated swordfish, add chopped parsley, and you’re ready to enjoy. At this point, they are ready to serve. If you wish, you can also leave one plain, and only fill one, to accompany the other with a nice platter of cold cuts and cheeses.
