Showing posts with label Wild sage and oregano savory salt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wild sage and oregano savory salt. Show all posts

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

Branzini with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Salsa Verde

I like to bake this dish in a terracotta planter base (one without a hole in the bottom) and serve it from oven to table.

4 - 6 oz. sea bass or other fish, such as halibut, cod, tilapia or even salmon. {make sure you buy only safely & humanely approved sea bass}
1/4 c. sliced
Preserved Lemons, about 3 wedges (rinse lemon and remove and discard pulp before slicing)
1/2 c. Citrus Fennel or
Antipasti olives
{our NEW! Citrus fennel olives will be on our website soon}.
3 T. Olive oil from the antipasti Olives
Wild Oregano & Sage aromatic salt (or kosher salt)
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces and place in an oven proof baking dish or terracotta platter. Scatter the preserved lemon slices and olives over the fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bake until the fish is just cooked (it should be firm to the touch), 7-10 minutes.

To make the sauce:


Salsa Verde
1/2 c. Italian parsley leaves
2 T. plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T. chopped fresh chives
2 T. capers, drained or rinsed, if salt packed
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. coarsely chopped sage leaves
1 t. fresh oregano leaves
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 c.
Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. aromatic lemon oil (optional)- not currently on the site, but available.

In a blender or food processor, add all of the ingredients except the oils. Process on high speed, slowly adding the olive and lemon oils in a steady stream through the top of the blender or processor, until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

Makes 1/2 cup.

NOTE: you can substitute salsa verde with Bella Cucina Garden Herb Sauce.

Buon appetito! copyright 2011 Alisa Barry

What's New?

I have just returned from the New York Fancy Food Show, where thousands of retailers gathered for three days to sample the latest offerings of food companies from all over the world.

The first question everyone asks when they step up to the table to taste is, "What's new?"



Innovation is what they want see, taste and experience. I am a big fan of innovative ideas, but never at the expense of becoming a blink-of-the-eye trend or flavor of the moment. Authenticity is always the foundation of a long-lasting, quality product.

Bella Cucina has been busy in the kitchen the last several months and had one of our largest new product introduction selections ever! Some were brand new, never been tasted. Others were classic favorites re-introduced by customer demand. And yet others were flavors originally created as private label ideas and now brought to the forefront for everyone to eat and enjoy.


Inspiration from my garden

Our fan favorite was the NEW! Mint & Pistachio Pesto. The word of the day was, "refreshing". A nice flavor for the summer sizzling heat, but a good taste all year round. We paired the pesto with a richly thick Greek yogurt, served with tiny slices of local pickling cucumbers laced with our Wild Sage & Oregano Savory Salt. Imagine this "refreshing" sauce with thick, grilled lamb chops. Or, a juicy roasted chicken leg laced with seville oranges on a bed of watercress and flecks of feta.


Thanks to the elegant eye of our amazing designer, Louise Fili, for her beautiful label designs.

Depending on which way you look at things, Bella Cucina has either bastardized the meaning of PESTO, or defied the classic tradition with a fresh, new poetic license of taste and flavor. We hope you will agree, pesto isn't just for pasta anymore.

Bella Cucina Mint & Pistachio Pesto will be available for sale August 1, 2008. To place your order for family, friends or your retail store, email me: alisa@bellacucina.com and I will put you on the top of the list!

Buon appetito!
copyright 2008 Alisa Barry