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Fish Alcatra
Terceira fish alcatra: conger eel and other local fish baked in a clay dish with smoked bacon, onion, tomato, allspice and white wine. Serve with bread.
- 6 servings
- 30 min
- 1h15
- 30 min
- Medium
Fish alcatra is the seafaring version of Terceira's famous alcatra: steaks of several kinds of fish with smoked bacon, onion, garlic, tomato, bay and allspice, doused in white wine and baked in a clay dish.
It is made with fish from the island's coast, nearly always including conger eel alongside others such as boca-negra (blackbelly rosefish), alfonsino or dusky grouper. Like the beef version, it is eaten with massa sovada or bread to soak up the sauce.
Method
Clean the fish, cut it into steaks and season with salt.
Grease the inside of the clay dish generously with the lard.
Make a first layer with half the onion, garlic, bacon and allspice and one bay leaf.
Arrange half the fish on top, add half the tomato and some parsley, and pour over half the wine.
Repeat the layers with the remaining onion, garlic, bacon, allspice, fish and tomato.
Finish with the butter in small pieces, the chilli paste, the paprika and the second bay leaf, then pour over the rest of the wine.
Cover with foil pierced in several places and leave to stand for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Bake for 60 to 90 minutes, removing the foil halfway so the fish browns on top. If the sauce reduces too much, add a little wine mixed with water.
Serve in the clay dish with bread or massa sovada.
Tips
- Choose firm-fleshed fish that will hold together in the oven; mixing an oily fish such as conger eel with white fish gives a richer sauce.
- No clay alguidar? Use a deep earthenware baking dish or an ovenproof cast-iron pot.
- Some families lightly fry the fish first and cook the onion, garlic and tomato into a sauce before layering the dish, which shortens the oven time.
- As well as bread, it goes well with boiled potatoes or plain white rice.
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