- 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
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, season the eel with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish.
- 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.