Recipe: How Robert Downey Jnr showed me Italian fish dish

This week, a romantic movie prompts a memorable trip and Mrs Conetta cooks a delicious fish dish….

About 25 years ago, I went to the cinema with some friends and we saw Only You, which starred Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.

It was very romantic, set in the beautiful hillside town of Positano on the Amalfi coast. Tomei played a woman looking for the love of her life and she ends up there.

The name comes from ‘positanesi’ who have been travellers, crossing seas and oceans, since the Middle Ages.

This place looked so beautiful, we decided we would go there on our next holiday. It did not disappoint.

It was very glamorous, with narrow streets and brightly coloured shops selling clothes peculiar to Positano. The restaurants were amazing - the food was beyond delicious.

After a few days in Positano we thought it would be a good idea to take the boat trip to Capri.

We set off down to the water’s edge and boarded a boat with around 40 others. It was beautiful - the sea was so calm and the day was perfect.

I sat beside my husband Joe and my friend Sylvana and her husband Ezio. All of a sudden, an old Italian Neapolitan song came into my head - Vicino Mare – or By the Sea.

I started to hum it and my friend joined in - the next thing we knew, the man beside me began to sing too, in the most beautiful operatic voice. His wife was nudging him to be quiet but he kept going and we were all blown away.

Soon, everyone on the boat was singing – it was so lovely.

We sang all the old Neapolitan songs while sailing to Capri….ah how I long for those days.

On reaching Capri everyone shook hands and we all went on our way. After a magnificent lunch we went on a walk around the town.

The views were stunning and the music was still ringing in my ears.

When we came across a music shop I went in Sylvano and Ezio, and I asked the man to play Luna Rossa, one of the songs we sang on the boat.

When he played it, I burst out crying – I think I had had enough emotion for one day.

(Joe, Sylvana and Ezio were not surprised. They knew I was a sentimentalist at heart - and a little nutty….)

This week’s recipe is Pan-Fried Capri Style Lemon Sole, and it always reminds me of that wonderful holiday, the beautiful sea and the songs and the delicious food, and those happy times with family and friends. Buon appetito.

READ MORE: Cooking with Mrs Conetta: Airport drama and a classic dish

PAN FRIED CAPRI STYLE LEMON SOLE

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons of olive oil

200g red cherry tomatoes, halved

200g yellow cherry tomatoes

150g pitted black olives

20 basil leaves, shredded

Juice and zest of one lemon

Salt and ground black pepper

Lemon sole (or you can also use sea bass) fillets – one or two per person depending on size.

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the tomatoes and olives and fry for one minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the basil and fry for 30 seconds. Then, add the lemon juice and season.

Stir to combine, then set aside and keep warm.

Place the fish fillets on a board and pat dry with kitchen paper. Fry in olive oil on both sides. Once cooked through, spoon a little of the olive and tomato mixture on to a plate and place the fillet on top, sprinkled with lemon zest and salt and pepper.

If you are using sea bass, make three diagonal cuts to the point you can see flesh.

Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a high heat. When it is really hot, place the fillets skin side down in the pan and fry for three minutes or until golden and crispy Turn the fillets and fry for further two minutes.

Serve as with the lemon sole.