Eel With Olives, Chiles, and Capers (Anguilla Livernese)

Ingredients

• 2 cups basic tomato sauce
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 12 caper berries
• 12 gaeta olives
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds eel, (from the sea or river), skinned and gutted by your fishmonger, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 4-inch-long pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

Directions

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. 2. In a large sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, red wine, caper berries, olives, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. 3. Meanwhile, season the eel with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.
4. 4. Pour the sauce over the eel, put the dish in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the eel is cooked through. Transfer to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped fennel, and serve immediately.