Joe’s of Avenue U, the Focacceria Palemitana in Brooklyn,NY,  was a real fast food restaurant, long before McDonald’s was born. Our menu was simple, our food made express in front of the customers, the prices were moderate and everything was fresh and delightful. Our menu consisted of our famous Sicilian specialties: rice balls, pani e panelle (a roll with chickpea fritters), vastedda (a roll stuffed with spleen, ricotta, and cheese), tripe, and eggplant with tomato sauce, cheese and basil. Our business flourished being patronized not only by the Sicilians and Italian-Americans living in the neighborhood but word got out and over time we attracted people from the Tri-State Area because our food was so good. As business increased, we enlarged our eatery and expanded our menu by adding some meat and fish dishes. The meat dishes were moving well, however, the fish which we prepared fried, in soup or baked, were selling very slowly. Only the fish salad, made with a combination of boneless seafood was accepted and sold well. The fish that we cooked whole, as we were accustomed to in Sicily, had good taste and the few dishes we sold, received compliments and approval. One day we purchased some large size groupers and because we could not give the whole fish as a portion, we decided to make fillets. That day we sold all the fish we had prepared.
We then began cooking the majority of fish as fillets and seldom as steaks, with much more success.

When buying fish fillets or steaks make sure they have a pleasant smell, not too fishy, they appear moist and that the flesh is firm to your touch. With the simple sauce that will follow, we baked codfish, baccalà, grouper, striped bass, mackerel, red snapper and any other fish that we could fillet.

Cooking the fillets in this very delicate sauce made with garlic, herbs, spices and olive oil, will enhance and not overwhelm the taste and flavor of the fish you will be preparing.