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Italy · Largemouth Bass

Venetian Sweet-and-Sour Fried Fish

Pesce in Saor

Venetian sailors kept fried fish fresh under a blanket of slow-cooked onions, vinegar, raisins and pine nuts. It works beautifully with bass fillets and is a classic on the Venetian table.

  • Prep 20 min
  • Cook 40 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: ezioman · CC BY 2.0
Served with: Grilled Polenta ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the saor

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Fry the fish. Salt the fish, dust with flour and fry in ½ inch (1 cm) of oil at 350 °F (175 °C) for 2–3 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper.
  2. Cook the onions. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook on low 20–25 minutes, stirring, until soft and sweet but not brown.
  3. Add the vinegar. Pour in the vinegar and sugar and simmer 3–4 minutes. Stir in the drained raisins and pine nuts.
  4. Layer. In a deep dish make layers: onions, fish, onions, fish, ending with onions and all the juices.
  5. Rest. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours, better 24. Serve at room temperature with grilled polenta.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Veneto, Italy

Grilled Polenta

Polenta alla Griglia

Firm polenta cut into slabs and grilled until crisp with dark marks. In Venice, white polenta grilled like this goes with fried fish and baccalà.

  • Prep 10 min + 2 h setting
  • Cook 45 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 1 cup coarse polenta (white or yellow)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing

How to make it

  1. Cook the polenta. Bring the salted water to a boil and pour in the polenta in a slow stream, whisking. Lower the heat and cook, stirring often, for 30–40 minutes until very thick.
  2. Set. Stir in the butter and Parmesan. Spread ¾ inch (2 cm) thick in an oiled pan and let cool until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
  3. Cut and oil. Turn out and cut into rectangles or triangles. Brush both sides with olive oil.
  4. Grill. Grill over medium-high heat or in a grill pan for 4–5 minutes a side, without moving, until crisp with dark marks. Serve hot.

Photo: Monica Arellano-Ongpin · CC BY 2.0

More ways to cook Largemouth Bass

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Hanabanilla, CubaCuban Fried “Trucha” (Largemouth Bass)
Alentejo, PortugalAlentejo Fried Bass in Escabeche
Veracruz, MexicoLargemouth Bass Roasted in Banana Leaves
East Texas lakesTexas Cornmeal-Fried Bass