Grilled Fish Puttanesca with Rapini and Garlic Bread

By Andrew Zimmern

This is the kind of fish recipe that reminds people how much range seafood really has. Bitter greens, a punchy puttanesca, crisp-skinned grilled fish, and garlic bread-style rolls come together into something that feels equal parts Friday fish fry and Saturday dinner party. It is bold, rustic, and deeply satisfying without burying the flavor of the fish. Fish can handle more flavor than people think. The puttanesca and greens complement the fish, they do not overwhelm it.

Grilled Fish Puttanesca

Ingredients

For the rapini

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
3 cloves garlic, grated
Pinch of chile flakes
2 bunches rapini, trimmed
Kosher salt, to taste
Splash of water, as needed
Lemon, for finishing

For the puttanesca sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Calabrian chiles
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 to 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 cup San Marzano tomato puree
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more to finish
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of chile flakes, optional

For the garlic butter bread

4 tablespoons softened butter
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely grated on a microplane
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup minced parsley
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 crusty rolls or 1 large soft baguette, split

For the fish

4 fish fillets, about 5 to 6 ounces each, skin-on (I used bream and perch), or 2 whole fish, scaled and cleaned
Olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Make the rapini

Set a large skillet or cast iron pan over low heat and add the olive oil, garlic, and chile flakes. Let the garlic and chiles gently infuse the oil while you prep the rapini.

Place the rapini in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, season with salt, and toss well with your hands to coat.

Grill the rapini briefly over direct medium heat just until lightly charred and marked. You are not trying to cook it all the way through here, just pick up some smoky flavor.

Transfer the rapini to the skillet with the garlic oil and cook low and slow until tender, tossing occasionally. Add a splash of water if needed to help soften the stems without scorching. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and set aside.

Tip: If the stems are thicker than a pencil, trim or split them so the rapini cooks evenly and stays tender.

Make the puttanesca sauce

In a large skillet or cast iron pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, Calabrian chiles, olives, capers, and anchovies. Cook, stirring, until the onions turn soft and glassy and the anchovies melt into the oil.

Add the tomato puree and vinegar. Simmer until the sauce tightens and most of the excess liquid cooks off, about 10 to 15 minutes. This sauce should be thick, not loose. Cook it down until it feels more like a spooning sauce than a pasta sauce.

Stir in the parsley and season with salt, black pepper, and chile flakes if needed. Set aside and keep warm.

Make the garlic butter bread

In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth and evenly mixed.

Spread the cut sides of the rolls or bread generously with the garlic butter. Place the cut sides back together and toast the whole rolls or bread on the grill until the inside is hot and the outside is crisp with good color.

Grill the fish

Pat the fish dry and brush with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.

If using fillets, oil both the fish and the grill grate well. Grill skin-side down first over medium-high heat until the skin is crisp and releases easily. You’re looking for the white flesh to just start to turn opaque. For delicate fillets, cook mostly on the skin side, then flip for just a few seconds on the flesh side to finish.

If using whole fish, grill until cooked through and crisp-skinned, then rest briefly before filleting or serving whole on top of the puttanesca with a side of rapini.

Build the sandwiches

Lay down a portion of rapini on the bottom half of each roll. Top with grilled fish, then spoon over the puttanesca sauce. Finish with a little extra parsley and any garlicky green oil left in the rapini pan if you have it. Close the sandwich and serve immediately.

Notes

You can serve it two ways: as a casual sandwich or plated more elegantly with the fish placed on top of the puttanesca sauce.

This works well with sea bream, perch, threadfin bream, or any firm, flavorful white fish.

The sauce can be made ahead. The rapini can be cooked in advance and rewarmed. Then all you have to do at the last minute is grill the fish and toast the bread.