P
Italian · Messina, Sicily
Impanata di Pesce Spada alla Messinese
A sealed pastry pie from Messina: a golden short-crust or olive oil pastry encases a filling of swordfish cubed and dressed with capers, olives, tomato, pine nuts, raisins, and fresh basil — the agrodolce marine tradition of Messina. Sealed and baked, the filling steams inside and the flavours meld into something deeply complex. Related to the Palermitan scaccia and the mainland impanata tradition, but distinctive for the swordfish — Messina is the straits-crossing point for swordfish migration.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the olive oil pastry
300 g
00 flour
Your own market
80 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
80 ml
cold water
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
Your own market
For the filling
600 g
swordfish
cut into 2 cm cubes, raw
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
capers
salted, rinsed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 g
green or black olives
pitted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
tomato pulp
peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
pine nuts
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
40 g
raisins
soaked in warm water 15 minutes, drained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 small bunch
30 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
for dressing the filling
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
Your own market
½ tsp
black pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
To finish
1
egg
beaten, for egg wash
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine the 00 flour and salt in a bowl. Add the olive oil and work briefly with the fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cold water a little at a time, bringing the dough together into a smooth, pliable mass. Divide into two pieces — one slightly larger than the other. Wrap both and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. The dough is ready when it yields without tearing.
2
Soak the raisins in warm water for 15 minutes, then drain and press dry. In a bowl, combine the raw swordfish cubes, capers, olives, tomato pulp, pine nuts, drained raisins, and torn basil. Dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turn once to coat. Do not pre-cook the swordfish — it finishes in the oven. The filling should be moist but not pooling liquid; if the tomato is very wet, drain briefly. The filling is ready when all components are evenly dressed.
3
Heat the oven to 185 °C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece of dough to a round or oval approximately 3–4 mm thick, large enough to line a 24 cm round baking tin with a slight overhang. Lay it into the tin, pressing gently into the base and sides. The surface should be smooth and without tears — this is where the dish lives or dies: any gap in the seal will allow the filling's steam to escape, collapsing the agrodolce concentration that defines the pie.
From the canon — Agrodolce (sweet-sour) is one of the most distinctive Italian flavour principles, found from the Venetian sarde in saor to the Sicilian caponata, from the Ro… Agrodolce — Sweet-Sour Flavour Technique →
4
Spoon the dressed filling evenly into the pastry case, distributing the swordfish, olives, capers, and raisins across the full surface. Do not press down. Roll the second piece of dough to the same thickness and lay it over the filling. Fold the overhang of the base pastry up and over the lid edge and press firmly — do not crimp; press with the heel of the hand for a rustic seal. Trim any excess. Pierce two or three small steam vents in the lid. Brush the entire surface with beaten egg. The pastry should be sealed, with no open seams visible.
5
Bake at 185 °C for 35–40 minutes. The pie is ready when the crust is deep golden and the underside, checked by lifting slightly at the edge with a palette knife, is dry and set — not pale or damp. The pastry should sound hollow when tapped on the lid.
6
Remove from the oven and rest in the tin for 15 minutes before cutting. During this period the interior steam settles, the filling sets, and the flavours consolidate. The pie slices cleanly when the pastry is firm and the filling holds its form without collapsing.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Swordfish from the Strait of Messina, caught by harpoon during the spring–summer migration; DOP Nocellara olives; Pantelleria capers under salt; Sicilian Zibibbo raisins.
02
Estate — Line-caught Mediterranean swordfish, day-boat fresh; Castelvetrano olives; good salted capers from any Sicilian island; estate-pressed Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil.
03
Market — Fresh swordfish steak from a reputable fishmonger; brined green olives, drained and rinsed; capers in brine, well rinsed; a reliable cold-pressed olive oil.
04
House — Frozen swordfish, fully thawed and patted dry; supermarket pitted olives; capers in brine; standard olive oil. The pastry will still seal and bake, though the filling's marine depth will be flatter.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Pastry dough yields smoothly under the palm without tearing or sticking — it is rested and ready to roll.
◇Sight. Filling is evenly coated in oil with no pooling liquid; tomato, olives, and raisins are distributed throughout the raw swordfish cubes.
◇Touch. Sealed edge holds firm under light pressure with no gaps or tears visible along the seam.
◇Sound. Lid gives a hollow tap when knuckled at the centre — the pastry is set and dry through.
◇Sight. Crust is deep, even gold on top; the underside, checked with a palette knife, is dry and not pale.
◇Where it lives or dies. The seal of the pastry must be complete before baking — any gap releases the interior steam and with it the concentrated agrodolce character that defines the Messinese impanata.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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