Amberjack fillets on a bed of eggplant purée, confit cherry tomatoes, and thyme

Ingredients for 4 people

• 4 amberjack fillets, 180–200 g each, with the skin on
• 2 large oval eggplants
• 300 g of yellow cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 5–6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 untreated lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• white pepper

Procedure

Lightly score the eggplants and cook them directly on the grill or in the oven at 220 °C until the flesh is very soft and the skin is nicely browned.

Remove the skin and blend the flesh with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt, white pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice until you have a smooth, velvety cream.

Arrange the yellow cherry tomatoes Place them in a baking dish with the unpeeled garlic cloves, a few thyme leaves, a drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt. Bake at 150°C for about 35–40 minutes, until they are slightly wilted but still juicy.

Thoroughly pat dry the amberjack, season them lightly with salt and sear them in a very hot skillet with a drizzle of oil, starting with the skin side down. Cook for about 4 minutes, then flip the fillets and continue cooking for another 2–3 minutes, keeping the meat tender and juicy.

Plating

Spread the eggplant purée on the bottom of the plates, arrange the yellowtail fillets on top, and finish with the confit yellow cherry tomatoes. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, a grating of lemon zest, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

In the glass, chosen by Stefania Vinciguerra

Roma Bianco Vulc Num 2025 Tenimenti Leone

Intense straw yellow with golden highlights. The nose offers aromas of ripe yellow fruit—apricot, pear, and medlar—with subtle citrus notes. On the palate, it is deep, well-balanced, fresh, almost salty, and has good length.  

Production area: Lanuvio, on the outermost foothills of the southern slope of the Colli Albani, in the Castelli Romani region. Volcanic soils, sandy-clay loam; the vineyards are located at an elevation of 130 meters above sea level.

Grape Varieties: 100% Bellone, organically grown, planting density of 4,300 vines per hectare, yield of 90–100 quintals per hectare.

Grape Harvest: Manual harvesting of the grapes into 18-kg crates.

Production processes: The must obtained through gentle pressing underwent cold static settling to promote natural clarification. Fermentation took place at a controlled temperature of 18 °C for 12 days using selected varietal yeasts to best enhance the grape variety’s aromatic profile. The wine is aged for 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks and undergoes gentle filtration before bottling to preserve its structure and lingering finish.

Alcohol content: 12.5% ABV

Serving temperature: 8-10°C.

Recommended pairings: excellent with raw seafood, appetizers, and seafood pasta dishes, shellfish, baked or grilled fish, white meats, summer vegetables, and fresh or medium-aged cheeses.