Braised Mackerel with Peppers

Trim wax peppers, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds and rinse. With the cut side down, place on a baking sheet and broil under the oven broiler until the skin is black and blistered.

Meanwhile, peel onion and chop finely. Remove garlic from the skins.

Rinse tomatoes and cut out the stem ends.

Pour boiling water over tomatoes in a bowl and let soak for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Peel tomatoes, cut in half, remove seeds and dice finely.

Take wax pepper halves from the oven. Put the peppers on a moistened cloth and allow to cool slightly. Remove the skin and cut the peppers into strips crosswise.

Remove head and tail from mackerel (or have this done by the fishmonger). Rinse the fish, pat dry with paper towels and cut into inch-thick slices. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Fry mackerel pieces over medium heat, turning to brown evenly, about 5 minutes.

Remove fish and spread in a large oven-proof baking dish. Add the onion, garlic and peppers to the pan and sauté for about 2 minutes in the remaining olive oil.

Add diced tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and cook everything for another 5 minutes over medium heat.