Cod: Fish and Chips No More!
At the corner market close to where we live, they sell select seafood that they purchase from the docks of Seattle. It’s always fresh and never really disappoints! On any given day, you’ll see shrimp, scallops, clams and mussles, ready to be cooked and eaten that day. That’s when you could figure my surprise when I found two beautiful cod fillets sitting in the cooler (cod is normally and East Coast thing). I thought, what the heck, so EEEEEEEEEE!
Back in May, I froze the leftover polenta that I made with the lamb last month in a baking tray and then cut them into little cakes, some rectangular and some in triangles. All I did was pop ‘em out and sauteed them in a little bit of butter to provide a simple, yet quite flavorful base for the dish.
I used the same tomato sauce recipe as I did last year (wow, August?), but I added a 1/4 cup of red wine AFTER the garlic and red pepper flakes and let reduce by half. THEN, I added the tomatoes and followed the recipe to the end (no cream this time). Hee hee.
For the cod, I dusted it in a little flour (DTRB WHAT WHAT) and placed it gently into a nonstick pan with a nob of preheated butter. I continued to cook for 3 minutes and then flipped it for another 3 to cook. I then threw it in a 350F degree oven until the fish was cooked through.
What you get is a “crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside” polenta cake that works well against the with the tender and flaky white cod meat. The tomatoes adds a simple acidity and the reduced red wine gives it an unmistakable depth. I shaved some Pecorino Romano on top for a little bit of saltiness, garnished with some minced parsley and ate it in almost three bites! Haha.
I would definitely make this again for small gathering and I wouldn’t change a thing. Let me know if you guys have any questions, I’m always happy to help!
YAY Cod! 
~Spec