Cod is another one of my favorite types of fish, flaky and dense, with a mild flavor. If cod is not available, (as some stocks are severely overfished), you could swap out with some more sustainable fish: i.e. cobia, pollack, hake or whiting. I like a crunchy texture to my fish, so I used some Panko breadcrumbs to create a nice crust. I paired this fish with some crispy mushroom, pea/parsley puree and some crispy shoestring sweet potatoes. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
- 3 tbsp oil
- 10-12 ounces mushrooms (cremini, shiitake), cleaned and coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
FOR THE FISH
- 1 ½ pounds of cod, cobia or pollack (4 pieces)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup of panko crust, enough to cover each piece
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice, to taste
FOR THE PEA PUREE
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup of cooked frozen peas
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots
- ⅛ cup EVOO (olive oil)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 oz. Crème Fraîshe
PREPARATION
- Make the pea puree. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add parsley leaves. Blanch for 20 seconds only and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and press leaves against strainer to squeeze out water. Using a food processor, add the cooked peas, shallots, parsley and salt. Slowly add in the oil so that all ingredients become a smooth puree. Place the puree into a bowl, and slowly stir in the Crème Fraîshe. Be sure to stir gently with a spoon so it does not separate or turn to butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place oil into sauté pan and heat on medium-high heat. Salt the fish. Press the panko bread crumbs onto all sides of each piece of fish. Cook the fish on each side (2-3 minutes per side), or until outside crust is golden brown. Place fish into baking dish. Drizzle lemon over the fish and bake 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets), until fish is opaque and pulls apart when a fork is inserted.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, toss mushrooms, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes more.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter and garlic to skillet. Tip skillet toward you so butter pools at bottom edge. Spoon butter over mushrooms until butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet with a slotted spoon.
- Place a piece of fish on each of 4 plates. Spoon pea sauce onto plate, next to fish. Place mushrooms on pea sauce and serve.
