Fish With Vegetables

Sautéed cod with vegetables, avocado, and cilantro.

The secret to excellent fish is to keep it simple. Don't over-cook it. This recipe is easy and delicious. I use frozen Alaskan wild cod because it's readily available. You can use other types of firm, white fish such as halibut, haddock, or bass. This recipe yields one serving. Feel free to increase the recipe.

Yield: 1 serving

Step 1:

·      1 fillet of cod, about 4 to 6 ounces by weight, defrosted and drained (see instructions below)

If the fish is frozen, take it out of the package, and place it on a plate that is lined with paper towels. Lightly sprinkle each side with sea salt or kosher salt. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cod releases a lot of water as it thaws, so when the paper towels are soaked, either wring them out or use new paper towels. Continue to let the fish drain in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. Kept refrigerated and salted, I find that cod will be fine for about 2 days.

If the fish is not frozen, lightly sprinkle with fine sea salt or kosher salt. Place it on a plate that is lined with paper towels, and hold it in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Cod needs to be drained on paper towels, especially if it has been frozen.

Step 2:

Vegetables for the sauté:

·      1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

·      ¼ cup green pepper, sliced into matchsticks or diced

·      1/3 cup diced fresh tomato

·      2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

·      Optional additions: sliced white or red onion, minced garlic

About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve the fish, prepare the vegetables for the sauté. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan. Add the vegetables and cover over medium heat. Check periodically, and stir. The vegetables should be fully cooked, maybe even a bit caramelized, as you can see in the photo below. This will take about 10 to 12 minutes, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes have been sautéed in butter. Notice the slight caramelization.

Step 3:

·      2 green onions, sliced

·      2 more tablespoons butter or olive oil

Push the vegetables to one side of the pan. Add 2 tablespoons more butter (or to taste). Place the fish in the pan, and place the sliced green onion on top of the sautéed vegetables. Cover and simmer over low-to-medium heat. Watch the fish carefully. Flip it over after a few minutes. Cook it just until it turns opaque and flakes. It’s better for the fish to be slightly under-done than over-done. Thinner fillets will obviously take less time to cook. The fish used in the photos (which weighed about 4 ounces right before cooking) took about 4 minutes, total.

The sautéed fish without the garnishes, on top of the vegetables

Step 4:

Immediately transfer the fish and vegetables onto the dinner plate. Add an optional garnish, and enjoy.

Optional garnishes:

·      Diced avocado

·      Fresh herbs such as cilantro, dill, parsley, or basil

·      Sesame seeds

·      Diced jalapeno pepper

·      Diced hard-boiled egg

·      Fresh lemon or lime juice

·      A spice mixture of your choice (see below for suggestions)

·      Extra salt, to taste

Notes and Backstory

 In my Italian family, cod fish was a special-occasion dish. Some of my relatives massively over-cooked it (such as baking it for an hour or more). A more palatable dish was salted cod salad with olives and celery, which took days to make because the dried cod had to be soaked for about 48 hours, with frequent changes of water so that the salt leached out.

When I re-discovered cod as an adult, I realized how delicious it is when prepared properly. I prefer to use frozen Alaskan wild cod. I like thicker fillets rather than thinner ones, but any fillet will do so long as you adjust the cooking time.

Cod throws off a lot of water as it thaws, so it is essential to drain it on paper towels. Sometimes I thaw it at room temperature just until it is fully thawed (but still cold). Do not let the fish sit at room temperature too long and get warm, because that’s when it starts to spoil.

Butter is the best sauce for fish, in my view. Use a high-quality brand, such as Kerry Gold.

If you are preparing a lot of fillets, sauté all your vegetables first, and transfer them to a warm serving dish. Then cook the cod. Garnish and serve.

Any combination of vegetables and garnishes can be used. Spice blends (Greek, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Israeli, Chinese, Japanese) all can be sprinkled over the fish just before serving time.