Category — Fish

D.’s birthday was last Monday, and since that’s a work night, we had a nice little dinner for him on Sunday . . . early, so that L. could get her beauty sleep (or shall we call it “civility sleep”? This child is a nightmare when she is tired) and D.’s mom could get home before dark.  This fish dish was perfect.  It’s healthy and simple enough for a weeknight, but a little more special than just your average broiled fillet.  I served it with some green beans almondine, a basic rice pilaf, and for dessert we had my MIL’s delicious chocolate bundt cake – maybe if we’re nice to her, she’ll give us the recipe.  It’s the only chocolate cake I like.  And I’m not just sayin’ that ’cause she reads my blog.  It’s spectacularly delicious.  Perfect to mark a birthday for which there were too few candles in the box, as L. so considerately noted. 

Cod with Tomatoes and Capers (adapted from Real Simple)

Heat the oven to 350.  Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish and place the cod fillets in the dish.  Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and drizzle a bit more oil on top.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, orange juice, parsley, capers, 1/2 t. of salt and 1/4 t. of pepper and simmer until some of the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.

Serve the sauce on top of the fish.

Serves 4.

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It’s been been “triple H” weather in Boston lately – hazy, hot & humid.  We’ve fired up our “decentralized” air-conditioning here at chez Semi-Sweet, but the kitchen gets short-shrift, for sure.  It’s pretty decent in here until you start working hard (read: lugging laundry, or, unfortunately, cooking).  But a family can only subsist on hard-cooked eggs and salad for so many days, and I was inspired by more Picadilly Farm CSA loot I picked up on Wednesday.

This meal is a 30 minute nutritional powerhouse – especially if you serve it with brown rice (I will confess, we ate it with white).  But here’s the kicker – it’s also super-delicious and it won’t heat up your digs too much. 

You’ll have leftover vinaigrette.  I think it’d be a great Asian salad dressing, drizzle for a wrap with lots of veggies and shredded rotisserie chicken, or perhaps a raw cabbage slaw with cilantro.  If you do make this, let us know how you’re using your leftover dressing, will you?

Pan Seared Cod With Spinach, Snow Peas & Asian Sesame Vinaigrette (adapted from Gourmet)

Rinse the snap peas and trim the ends.  Wash the spinach well and spin dry.  Set a steamer basket in a large skillet with about 2 inches of water in the bottom, add the peas and cover.  Steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  Add the spinach and steam, covered, for 2+ minutes, until wilted.  Remove and set aside (I put the spinach and peas in a bowl and covered them w/aluminum foil to keep them warm).

Salt and pepper the fillet and dredge in a bit of flour. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the fish and cook until it flakes easily, about 5 minutes each side. 

Divide the rice between two plates.  Top first with spinach, then add the snowpeas.  Place 1/2 of the fish atop each mound, and drizzle with a few tablespoons of vinaigrette .  Serve immediately.

Serves 2, the fish and veggies can easily be scaled up and you’ll have plenty of dressing for 4-6 servings.

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The only downer to trying to eat more fish is the fact that you have to buy your fish the day you’re going to prepare it.  And for many of us, that’s hard.  The best work-around I’ve come up with is to buy flash-frozen fillets from either Trader Joe’s or from Whole Foods.  These are fresh-tasting and can be kept around and defrosted when you’re hankering for fish, but I think the freezing changes the texture a bit in a way I don’t love.  I think that baking garners the best results from flash-frozen fish, so if you have some hanging around your freezer, you might want to give this recipe a whirl with those.

This chili-lime cod recipe is adapted from one in Real Simple that I found on-line.  It’s a departure from how I usually prepare cod – either steamed Asian-style or else baked with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  The spice combo here is simple, yet adds zingy flavor to the fish without overpowering it. 

Here, I give you the roadmap for a complete meal:  Fish, sweet potato and steamed broccoli on the side.  My adaptation calls for doubling the sauce recipe so that you can drizzle it over the broccoli too . . . . deeee-licious and super-speedy.  This entire meal can be ready in 20-30 minutes!

Chili-Lime Cod With Sweet Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli (adapted from Real Simple)

Heat the oven to 450.  Coat a oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray.  Arrange the fillets in the pan and sprinkle with chili powder, oregano and salt.  Bake 5-7 minutes or until the cod is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes and prick each several times with a fork.  Arrange them on a paper towel in the microwave and microwave them in 2-minute intervals until they’re tender to the touch.

Place the broccoli in a microwave-safe covered dish and microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until broccoli is bright green and tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly, until butter begins to brown.  Add the cumin and the lime juice and continue to cook (keep stirring!) about one minute more.

Remove the fish from the oven, drizzle ½ the butter mixture over the top of the fish and ½ over the steamed broccoli.  Serve the sweet potatoes with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a little salt sprinkled over the top.   

Serves 4.

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This recipe is full-flavored, hearty, cheesy and satisfying.  Add a fresh green salad on the side, and you have a warm delicious winter weeknight meal.

Rustic Cod Casserole (adapted from Eating Well)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes.  Add wine, increasing the heat to high, and cook stirring often until the wine is slightly reduced, about 2-4 minutes.

Place the cod on the onions and sprinkel with the thyme, salt and pepper.  Coer the pan tightly with foil and transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Toss the bread with the remaining 1 T. of oil, paprika and garlic powder in a small bowl.  Spread the bread mixture over the fish and top with the cheese.  Bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque in the center, about 10 more minutes.

Serves 4.

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Instead of an underutilized veggie, today I’m highlighting what I think is an underutilized (at least around here) seasoning:  harissa.  Harissa is a spicy, brick-red chili paste originally from the Berber people of Tunisia but which is used all over the world.  How you use harissa is a personal thing – in Tunisia, harissa is served at virtually every meal as part of an appetizer.  It’s also used as an ingredient in a meat (usually goat or lamb) or fish stew with vegetables, and as a flavoring for couscous. In the West it’s eaten with pasta, in sandwiches and on pizza or else as a breakfast spread for tartines and rolls.  The paste’s taste can vary from one region to another, for example, in Saharan regions, harissa can have a smoky flavor.

You can find harissa in tubes, cans or bottles at many North African and Middle Eastern markets (I get mine at Sevan Bakery in Watertown, but I’m pretty sure they even carry it at Whole Foods now).

Today’s recipe is a good introduction to harissa if you’ve never used it before.  The harissa adds some nice spice and a deeper flavor to the otherwise plain tomato sauce used here.  Lots of cilantro rounds it all out.  This is also a good dish for people who aren’t crazy about plain ol’ baked or poached fish . . . you get all the benefits of eating fish without any fishy taste, whatsoever.  Serve this with fresh Syrian bread to mop up the good sauce.  This dish will take you under 20 minutes to prepare, counter to table.  Enjoy!

Poached Cod In Spicy Tomato Sauce (adapted from The Half Hour Cook by Jenni Fleetwood)

Heat the tomato sauce with the harissa and cilantro in a large saucepan or medium-sized Dutch oven.  Add salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.  Remove the pan from heat.

Add the fish to the hot sauce and return to the heat.  Bring the sauce to a boil again, the reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings, adding more harissa if necessary.  Serve hot or warm.  Serves 4. 

Adapted from The Half Hour Cook by Jenni Fleetwood.

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I know some of you are afraid to cook fish at home.  I’m not really sure where this comes from, because aside from the fact that you need to buy it day-of cooking (in most cases), I find fish to be a quick and easy answer to the “what’s for dinner?” question.

In our house, we eat a lot of cod.  I know, I know, cod has historically been  over fished, but it’s the only fish that we all consistently agree on.  My daughter won’t eat any of the greens associated with a fish recipe, but she’ll often eat some of the cod itself, along with her ever-present noodles.

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