Cod on the Menu

I like fish. At least, most fish. My husband, on the other hand, does not. On very extremely rare occasions, we have gone for "fish & chips" together, and while he will eat the hugely battered piece of fish, he will opt to leave some fish and eat all the fried batter. So, we come down to the fact that I rarely eat fish, because if I am to cook a whole dinner for us both, I really hate to have to make two separate dinners.
 

Cod Fish Stew

And so, we come to the fact that after his latest hospital scare, he is willing to go some lengths to prevent any more of what got him there in the first place. With that, diet is very important. And while he is hugely overweight, he has, until now, been unwilling to do anything about it. Food is his pleasure. Unfortunately, the range of foods he normally eats is very, very small. Since he came home from the hospital, he has been eating (mostly) what I give him to eat and has even consented to eat half an acorn squash (generally a complete no-no), and even a piece of salmon (an absolute no-no), though he didn't care for it. (Truth be told, salmon is one kind of fish that I, myself, have to be in just the right "mood" to eat with any joy.)

Thinking about new ways to get something other than beef, pork, chicken or lamb into him, I remembered this fish stew recipe. It came, originally, from a book called "The F-Plan Diet," back in the early 1980s. I like white fish. I love cabbage and carrots. And that is what makes up the bulk of this recipe. I made it for myself way back then and have made it only a very few times in the nearly 30 years with my husband. My reasoning was that if he doesn't like "fishy" fish, and while cabbage and carrots are not his favorites, as long as they're cooked, it might be acceptable, then he might just like this dish.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. 😒 

Cod Fish Stew

I made the dish, and the smell is (to me) just heavenly while it is cooking. I looked forward to dinner with relish. He took two bites and said, sorry, but he just could not eat it. Drat!

All that aside, it is still a most excellent dish. The flavors are really wonderful. The use of cloves and honey in this stew made me curious the first time I ever made it, but it just truly makes an excellent meal, if you happen to like white fish, cabbage and carrots. I used cod, because I love cod, but you could substitute any white fish that flakes easily. Haddock would be great. Sole, halibut or grouper can work. You choose.

Originally the recipe is called "Cold Fish Casserole." And while it is very tasty when cold, especially with a nice chunk of buttered French bread, we are not eating breads at this point in time, so that was not an option. Plus, I don't see much of "casserole" about this dish. It is cooked in a skillet. I see a casserole as something in a pot that generally goes in the oven. Semantics, maybe? To me, it is a stew. And so, I am renaming the dish. It is simple and goes together in no time. And, obviously, the fish cooks through in short order as well, so altogether, it can be served from start to finish in 30 to 40 minutes, max, depending on your speed in assembling and chopping vegetables.

Cod Fish Stew

Cod Fish Stew

Serves 2 to 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 or 2 carrots, shredded
½ small cabbage (4 - 5 cups), thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup fish or chicken stock, or water
1½ tablespoons honey
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cloves (truly!)
½ teaspoon sea salt
1-pound white fish filet: cod, halibut, haddock
parsley for garnish

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook lightly for about 3 to 5 minutes, until wilted. Add in the carrots, cabbage, tomatoes and dill and using tongs preferable, toss the mixture to combine and continue tossing until the cabbage softens slightly, about 2 more minutes. Mix together the vinegar, stock and honey and pour this mixture over the cabbage mixture. Stir a bit, then nestle the fish filet(s) into the cabbage mixture and sprinkle the salt over all. Cover the skillet and cook on a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish easily flakes apart. Serve in bowls and garnish with parsley leaves. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A New Twist on a Pilaf and a New Recipe for Cod

I am always interested in going back to basics when  making foods, partly because it was something I had to do in Guatemala and that is how I learned. When what is locally available is all you can use, one learns quickly. Back in the 1970s there was no availability of every thing one could imagine on the internet. There was no internet. No cell phones. It is hard to even remember what we did back then. No remotes for the TV. Two or three channels at most. Foods that were available locally were what could be used. Period.

When I came back to the US, it was the time when using whole grains, higher fiber and jogging came into vogue. I never got the jogging bug, but was always interested in being healthy. Using foods with higher fiber seemed natural. I really liked all those things, so there was no difficulty in it for me. But, just because something is high fiber does not immediately turn out tasting good. We have to try new ways to make some foods taste marvelous. Now, here we are, 40 years later. I am still experimenting. I buy foods like whole oat groats or raw buckwheat, raw cashews, millet, teff, amaranth. The list goes on and on. Not all of those were immediate hits. Not all of those were even something I tried more than once. Still, because once they weren't my cup of tea, doesn't mean that at some point they won't taste really good made in a different way.

Green Lentil and Millet Pilaf with Baked Crusted Cod

Recently a friend gave me a recipe for waffles using soaked buckwheat and millet. No cooking of the grains beforehand. I loved those waffles. I wish I could claim that recipe as my own, but it is not. I have been meaning to get them out and make those waffles again, but have yet to get to it. Meanwhile, I keep seeing the bags of the seeds in my freezer (where I keep anything that doesn't get used too often), and was thinking what I might do with them. A few days ago, I got an idea for a sort of pilaf with less-used or -known grains, lentils or seeds. I ended up making a Green Lentil and Millet Pilaf, which I just loved. I have been eating it the past few days, all on my own, as it is not a dish my husband would touch, though I keep hoping. I had green De Puy lentils because I had used them in another dish from the Food and Wine magazine. Their recipe was with these little green lentils, red quinoa and cauliflower and I loved that too. So, the lentils were there in the cabinet, and the millet was in the freezer and I decided they would make a nice looking dish; it remained to see what I could do with the flavor. 

Green Lentil and Millet Pilaf

Green Lentil and Millet Pilaf

Serves 4 - 6
 
½ cup green (De Puy) lentils
1 small carrot, grated
1¼ cup water
½ cup millet
1 cup water
1 small knob fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 - 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly
½ green pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
 
Place the first 3 ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until cooked through. In another small saucepan, bring the next 3 ingredients to boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 to 18 minutes or until tender.
 
While these are cooking, heat a skillet and add the olive oil. Add in the shallot with the first half teaspoon salt and saute until soft. Add in the garlic, celery and green pepper and saute for another 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add in the drained lentils and the millet and the second half teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.

A few weeks back, I bought some frozen cod. The pieces were individually wrapped so they were just fine in the freezer. But, I like fish and my husband doesn't, unless there is enough breading, it is fried and there is plenty of ketchup to smother it in. I like fried fish just fine. Just not as the only way. I like eating fish made in other creative ways. So, there is this cod. I had made Beef Vegetable Soup, which is a favorite of my husband's, so I left the soup for him and made myself a piece of fish. Mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese make a nice topping for things. I have long made pork chops by setting them onto a baking sheet, setting one (¼-inch thick) onion slice on top of each, placing a dollop of mayo onto the onion, and then Parmesan over the top of the mayo. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes at 350 and o-m-g! So, with a little play on that concept, I made my cod. The recipe was just for the one piece, so if making more than one, just multiply the recipe as needed. It took longer in the oven than I anticipated, so the next time I might set the oven to 400 degrees and bake for less time.

Baked Crusted Cod

Baked Crusted Cod

Serves 1

1 cod filet, (about 5 ounces)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection). If the cod filet is very thick in the center, butterfly so it lays flat with a more even thickness all along the length. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish. If you have white pepper, try using that instead of black.

In a little bowl, combine the mayonnaise and the 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Spread this paste over the top of the fish, evenly. In another small bowl, combine the panko, 1 tablespoon of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the olive oil. Press these crumbs onto the mayonnaise mixture on the fish. Set the filet onto a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. [To prevent messy cleanup, line the baking sheet with foil first.] Set the filet into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it flakes in the center.
The cod was delightful. I smeared some tartar sauce onto my plate and set the fish on top of the tartar sauce to serve. It made for a prettier photo. You can always serve more tartar sauce on the side. Together these two recipes were just wonderful for dinner.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.