Name: Sicilian Swordfish Pie (Impanata di Pesce Spada alla Messinese/’Mpanata ri Pisci Spata)
Yield: One 9-inch pie, about 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped (about 6 ounces); 1 small rib celery, chopped; 1 egg well beaten with a pinch of salt; 1½ cups well-drained and chopped canned tomatoes, or peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh vine-ripened tomatoes; Flour for dredging the fish; ¼ cup raisins; 2 tablespoons pine nuts; 1 cup (about 5 ounces) coarsely grated Caciocavallo cheese, or ½ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano; 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; ½ cup whole oil-cured black olives, pitted and sliced; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons drained capers; 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 3 large eggs; ¼ teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste; 6 tablespoons olive oil; 1 pound boneless swordfish, each piece about ½ inch thick; 4 tablespoons chilled lard; 2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil; Black pepper to taste

Preparation info

One 9 inch pie, about
8
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

How to Bake

By Nick Malgieri

Published 1995

About

This great specialty of Messina, the port town on the east coast of Sicily closest to the Italian mainland, combines many typical Sicilian flavors in a single dish. The meaty texture of swordfish, the fish most widely served in Sicily, blends well with the highly seasoned sauce.

Though this is usually presented in a straight-sided pan, I think a standard pie pan is more practical—it makes the pie easier to assemble and to serve.

As with many Sicilian recipes, there are many