Wahoo with Citrus and Pistachios
We are back in Sicily once again, I just can’t stay away, the cuisine is so varied and all of it so delicious. I found this fantastic recipe in my Slow Food cookbook, which I really should explore a bit more, I have never made a bad meal from it. I found some gorgeous wahoo steaks at Crosby’s seafood, a fish that I have really grown to love and have only been able to find at the small local fishmongers, making me think (and hope) that it is truly a local fish.
When searching for a recipe in my Slow Food cookbook, which only focuses on fish that are indigenous to the seas surrounding Italy, I figured that I would look for swordfish dishes. The meatiness of the wahoo is very similar to that of the swordfish, but I must say that I like the flavor of wahoo a whole lot more.
This recipe had a combination of flavors that I love, citrus and pistachios and I thought that I would pair it with another very Sicilian grain, couscous. Not a dish that one would normally associate with Sicily, but brought over by the Saracens in the 800’s and has since become a Sicilian staple. I made it with the pistachios that were leftover from the fish, raisins, green olives and mint. The fish paired with the couscous was out of this world, we drizzled the sauce that we created with the citrus juice over the couscous which was gorgeous. I would make this meal again and again and again.
Wahoo con Agrumi e Pistacchi
translated and adapted from Ricette di Osterie d’Italia: il pesce. 600 piatti di mare di lago e di fiume Slow Food Editore
serves 6
- 2½ lb wahoo, cut into steaks (the original recipe is for swordfish)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a few sprigs of fennel fronds (I wasn’t able to find fennel and used mint)
- 1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes
- 1 cup of pistachios, crushed
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- flour for dredging the wahoo steaks
- half a cup of white wine
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Remove the skin and bones from the wahoo steaks, the wahoo was pretty delicate and I was unable to remove the skins, you may want to ask your fish monger to do this. Dredge the steaks in the flour.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Place the wahoo steaks in the pan, letting them absorb the flavors for a minute or two, add the wine letting it evaporate. Add the fennel fronds, orange and lemon zest and juice, half of the pistachios and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook, spooning the sauce over the fish frequently to keep the fish from drying out. If the sauce starts to dry out add a bit more juice. Before serving garnish with pistachios and orange slices.
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Italicious 
