From eggplant parmigiana to funghetto-style eggplants, from eggplant croquettes with a provolone center to the rustic puff pastry with eggplants, from breaded eggplants to caponata, everything that concerns this wonderful purple vegetable, especially when fried, is a blessing from above. There is no doubt about it.
Yes, grilled eggplants are also delicious if you’re dieting, which proves that if something is good, it always is. However, the deliciousness of a dish of summer fusilli with perch and eggplants, I assure you, really represents a moment of great happiness. If you haven’t tried it yet, I strongly recommend you do — I’m sure you won’t regret it.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients for Summer Pasta with Perch and Eggplants
- 11 oz fusilli
- 11 oz perch (fillet)
- 2 eggplants
- 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 sprigs basil
- 1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 1/4 cups sunflower oil (for frying the eggplants)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste coarse salt
Tools
Pots, pans and the like
How to prepare Summer Pasta with Perch and Eggplants
To prepare these tasty fusilli with perch and eggplants, start with the basil: wash it, dry it and then pick the leaves, reserving a few sprigs for the final garnish.
Clean the eggplants and cut them into cubes. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, quickly fry the eggplant cubes, place them in a bowl and season with a pinch of fine salt.
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Chop the garlic clove and put it in a saucepan with the extra virgin olive oil. When the garlic is lightly golden, add the cherry tomatoes previously washed and cut into wedges, add the basil and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust the salt and add the fried eggplants, cooking for another 4–5 minutes.
Now prepare the fish by removing any bones and patting it dry with paper towels. Cut the fillet into pieces and cook it in a pan with a drizzle of oil; lightly salt and continue cooking for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the perch fillets to the pan with the tomatoes and eggplants and mix for a few minutes.
Cook the pasta in salted water, drain it al dente and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, tossing to combine. Remove from the heat and divide among plates, finally garnish with the reserved basil and serve the summer fusilli with perch and eggplants.
At this point all that’s left is to wish you a buon appetito… Oh, and let me know if you liked it!
If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, or prefer a different variety, you can use piccadilly tomatoes or whichever type you like best.
