Mains

Fish Wrapped in Eggplant in a Saladette® Truss Tomato Sauce

Created especially for Perfection Fresh by celebrity cook, Stefano de Pieri, of the Mildura Grand Hotel's Stefano's Restaurant.

Serves 3.
Prep Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, firm and glossy
• 200g firm white fish, skin and bones removed, cut into three equal parts
• 1/2 cup fresh tomato sauce (see recipe below)
• 3 large basil leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• Toothpicks
• Extra basil leaves to garnish

Tomato Sauce

• 4 very ripe Saladette® truss tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Cooking Instructions

• Cut a cross through the tomato skin and plunge into boiling water for 1 minute or less.
• Peel off the skin. Dice the tomatoes, removing all seeds and membrane.
• Heat the oil gently and fry the garlic cloves, making sure they do not burn.
• Add the tomato. Season, and do not cook longer than 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and blend the tomato sauce.
• Slice the eggplant lengthways into 4mm slices.
• Fry eggplant slices in a shallow non-stick pan to a golden brown colour and pat dry with absorbent paper.
• Place a basil leaf and a piece of fish on top of each slice. Season.
• Wrap the eggplant around the fish and secure with a toothpick. If the eggplant is too small, use 2 slices.
• Heat a little oil in the non-stick pan and reheat the eggplant parcels. Preheat the oven to 180°, when hot, place directly in the oven for about 6 minutes, or until the fish is cooked.
• To serve: place some hot fresh tomato sauce on a plate and place the fish parcels next to it. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. Garnish with extra basil leaves.