Saramură de Pește Rapidă
(sah-rah-moo-rah deh pesh-teh rah-pee-dah)
Mămăligă Suppers (Polenta, Pork & Skillets)
The Lipovan fishermen of the Danube Delta cooked their catch on a hot metal sheet crusted with salt, then drowned it in a fiery, garlic-spiked broth. This is how you pull off that exact rustic magic on a Tuesday night in the suburbs. No open fire required—just a brutally hot cast-iron skillet, an unapologetic amount of raw garlic, and a mandatory mound of steaming polenta.
Ingredients
- skin-on white fish fillets1 1/2 lb
- coarse kosher salt1 cup
- red bell pepper1 large
- cherry tomatoes1 pt
- jalapeño or serrano pepper1 med
- water3 cup
- bay leaf1 med
- dried thyme1 tsp
- black peppercorns1/2 tsp
- garlic5 large cloves
- white vinegar1 tbsp
- fresh parsley1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Blister the vegetables in a dry skillet.
Heat a large, dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the bell pepper, whole hot pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Toss occasionally until they develop dark, charred spots, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium pot and wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.
- 02
Simmer the unseasoned broth.
Add the water, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns to the pot with the blistered vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Do not add salt.
- 03
Build the salt bed and crisp the fish.
Return the dry skillet to medium-high heat and pour in the kosher salt, spreading it into an even layer. Let it heat for 2 minutes. Lay the fish fillets skin-side down directly onto the hot salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is incredibly crispy, then gently flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more until done.
- 04
Marry the fish and the hot broth.
Turn off the heat under the simmering broth. Remove the fish from the salt bed, brushing off any heavy clumps of salt, and nestle the fillets directly into the hot liquid.
- 05
Add the raw garlic off the heat and steep.
Stir the minced garlic and vinegar directly into the hot broth. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and let it steep undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes. This preserves the sharp, pungent bite of the raw garlic.
- 06
Serve over steaming polenta.
Ladle the fish, blistered vegetables, and deeply savory broth generously over mounds of hot mămăligă. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Mămăligă is entirely non-negotiable.
The alkaline sweetness of cornmeal is chemically and culturally required to balance the pungent brine. Whisk 1 cup of medium yellow cornmeal into 4 cups of boiling salted water. Simmer on low, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes until it pulls away from the sides of the pot and holds its shape.
Do not salt the broth.
The fish will carry enough salt from the blistered skillet bed to season the entire pot of liquid perfectly.
From Cook Romanian in America.