Swordfish and Eggplant Paccheri, a Sicilian dish combining land and sea. August is the prime month for swordfish fishing in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and tropical and subtropical areas. Mostly found in surface waters, they prefer warm waters, hence migrate south in the fall. The swordfish is one of the largest bony fish, exceeding 13 feet (4 meters) and weighing over 880 lbs (400 kg). A unique fishing method uses boats called feluccas, with a tall mast featuring a lookout post. In the kitchen, swordfish is versatile, well-known in Sicily or Messina, particularly prepared alla ghiotta, breaded, in piccata, natural or simply pan-fried, and often found raw as carpaccio.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 339.97 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 24.38 (g) of which sugars 8.30 (g)
- Proteins 17.41 (g)
- Fat 17.90 (g) of which saturated 3.02 (g)of which unsaturated 3.20 (g)
- Fibers 3.89 (g)
- Sodium 960.34 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 230 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients needed to prepare swordfish and eggplant paccheri
- 7 oz swordfish
- 3.5 oz paccheri
- 8 oz eggplants
- 5.3 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1.4 oz onion
- 0.7 oz breadcrumbs
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.7 oz brandy
- 1.4 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 sprig mint
- to taste chopped parsley
- 1 sprig basil
Tools needed to prepare swordfish and eggplant paccheri
- Pan
- Colander
- Cutting Board
Steps to prepare swordfish and eggplant paccheri
Swordfish and Eggplant Paccheri
Brown the swordfish in a pan with garlic, parsley, and mint, and as soon as it’s golden, deglaze with brandy. Separately, prepare a sauce with onion and tomatoes, cook for ten minutes. Once ready, add the golden swordfish to the sauce off the heat. Separately, fry the eggplants, and once cooked and dried on paper towels, add them to the sauce. Toast the breadcrumbs with a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Cook the paccheri al dente and toss them in the pan with the swordfish and eggplant sauce. Before serving, sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs.
See how easy it is?
