SicilianItalian
John Dory Spaghettoni with Liver
Chef Max Mariola demonstrates how to prepare Spaghettoni with John Dory and its liver, a traditional Sicilian-style recipe using the whole fish for a rich broth, flavored with herbs, capers, and a splash of local white wine.
- Difficulty
- medium
Ingredients
11 items- 1 pcsJohn Dory (Whole Fish)Whole fish, including fillets and liver
- Extra Virgin Olive OilGood quality, for cooking
- ParsleyUse stalks for the base and leaves for finishing
- BasilFresh leaves
- OnionRoughly chopped
- GarlicCrushed whole cloves
- White WineDry white wine, such as Astolfo or similar local wine
- Salt-Packed CapersSalted capers; add sparingly as they are salty
- SpaghettoniLarge spaghetti, about 1 kg if serving a group
- John Dory LiverFrom the same fish
- John Dory FilletsDiced
Method
- Clean the John Dory: remove the liver, fillet the fish, and reserve the carcass.
- In a large pan, heat good olive oil. Add parsley stalks, basil, roughly chopped onion, and crushed garlic.
- Add the fish carcass to the pan and brown it well to develop flavor.
- Deglaze with white wine. Let the alcohol cook off.
- Add a few salted capers. Do not add extra salt as the capers are already salty.
- Add a splash of water.
- Meanwhile, dice the fish fillets into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook spaghettoni in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
- Remove the carcass from the pan and discard, keeping the broth. Add the diced fish and the liver, and cook gently.
- Stir in chopped parsley.
- Drain the pasta and toss it in the pan with the fish sauce.
- Serve immediately, accompanied by a glass of the same wine used for cooking.