Eurasian perch fillets join the eel later in Tegamaccio del Trasimeno, where they finish in the tomato sauce.
Eurasian perch fillets join the eel later in Tegamaccio del Trasimeno, where they finish in the tomato sauce.
Persico reale is Perca fluviatilis, the freshwater perch associated with Lake Trasimeno. Nile perch is a different fish, Lates niloticus, listed in Italy as persico africano. The scientific name helps identify the right fish when a counter or pack uses the shorter word persico.
Ask for fillets with pin bones removed. Check their surface and edges for any remaining bones, then weigh 500 g of ready fillets. Keep them chilled and separate from the eel so they can be added at the later stage.
In Tegamaccio del Trasimeno, eel starts cooking before the persico reale fillets are laid into the sauce. This order lets the fillets enter a pan whose onion, wine and tomato base is already underway.
Set the fillets gently in the sauce rather than stirring them through it. Keep the simmer very low and begin checking after 10 minutes. Finish when the fish is opaque and separates easily with a fork. Rock the pan as needed, and check for any bones while eating.
Specify persico reale, Perca fluviatilis, in fillets. Check the scientific name and the origin information on the label or counter notice. Confirm the weight after filleting and trimming; 500 g of whole fish is not the 500 g of fillets needed for the dish.
Follow the supplier’s storage and use-by directions. Keep the fillets covered in the refrigerator until the sauce is ready for them, separate from foods ready to serve. Prepare the bread and parsley while the fish stays cold.
The 500 g is the ready fillet weight after filleting, trimming and removing visible pin bones. Arrange that weight with the fishmonger.
Persico africano is Lates niloticus. Choose Perca fluviatilis for the persico reale fillets used here.
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