A Wonderful Recipe for Cod
While fall and winter have their attactions—including comfort food served with a side of a good book and purring cats in front of the hearth—the middle of May is when I begin to feel truly alive.
What can I cook that is easy to make now and available at my supermarket or fish store? And what can I make if next weekend is gorgeous and perfect for the grill? This weekend I plan to try a strawberry barbecue sauce. If it is as good as it sounds, it should be perfect for the summer, and I will share the recipe next time.
Here, for days when you’re content to cook inside, from my brand new issue of Fine Cooking, is a wonderful recipe for cod. I plan to stop at my favorite fishmonger, Old Saybrook’s Atlantic Seafood, and pick up the cod fillets. It serves 4, so I may share with my neighbors.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Seared Cod with Gazpacho Sauce*
Adapted from Fine Cooking, June/July 2019 issue
Yield: serves 4
2 medium tomatoes peeled and diced (or use grape tomatoes,
unpeeled, cut in half)
1 ½ tablespoons finely diced red pepper
1 ½ tablespoons finely diced green peppers
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Pinch ground cumin
Salt to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (more if needed)
4 skinless cod fillets, about 8 ounces each, or other flaky fish
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, peppers, garlic, vinegar, cumin, and salt; toss to combine. Add 2 tablespoons oil and combine. Let it sit at room temperature while you cook the fish.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Coat fish lightly with flour and add to the hot pan. Cook until golden-brown on one side, flip and cook until opaque. Just before serving, stir parsley into the gazpacho sauce. Serve the fish topped with the sauce.
*I might double or triple the cod’s sauce (the first eight ingredients), which could be refrigerated for a few days. That sauce would be delicious on grilled chicken and used as a topping on grilled bread.