Cod with Sweet and Sour Pepper | Yotam Ottolengi

Garnish with fresh chives, green onions and fennel are sprinkled on top

When I see this recipe in Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem, one other cod dish comes to mind. It’s the cod Basquaise from Eric Ripert. The ingredients are similar, but the similarity ends with their respective style. One is slow-braised middle-eastern style; the other is typical of fine-dining from the Basque region. I love the exquisite style of cod Basquaise, but the amount of prep work is a disincentive. If someone else is cooking, I’ll go for the fine dining alternative. On special occasions, I may consider cooking that. However, for a weekday meal cooked by yours truly, cod with sweet and sour pepper is hitting all the right notes.

Mise en place for the cod Basquaise

Plenty of chopping requiring meticulous knife skill

Easy does not mean quick, but a little attention and organization goes a long way. The process proceeds naturally and I tend to lean on my preferred methodology of cooking. For example, I’d rather not frying the cod, but sautéing the cod fillets, coated with Wondra, on a shallow pan. Since I’m preheating the oven, I stick a pan of red and yellow pepper to roast in the oven while I’m sweating the onions. Besides being more efficient in the use of time and energy, roasting concentrates the flavor and sweetness of bell pepper.

To finish the dish, combine the seared cod in the onion and pepper sauce and place the skillet in the oven. Now, every ingredient has a chance to meld together as a whole. If you prefer to cook the sauce, the fish and the final braising on the stovetop, that’s always available. It’s the prerogative of the cook. The sense you’re executing the dish that tastes good to you while enjoying the creative process is all that matters. Spring is here; let fresh ideas flow and take shape.

Fish can be small or whole. Eaten hot or at room temperature. Serve it as a light meal or as a starter. After resting for a day or two, the flavor gets even better.

Mise en place: olive oil, onions, coriander seeds, peppers, garlic, bay leaves, curry, tomatoes, sugar, vinegar

Print Recipe

Cod with Sweet and Sour Pepper

Middle Eastern

By Yotam Ottolenghi – Serves: 4

Seared cod is combined with a vinegary onion and bell pepper sauce. Then the dish gets some oven time to allow the flavor to develop further.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 medium onions, cut into 3/8 in/1 cm slices (3 cups/350g.)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed, slightly crushed
• 2 ripe sweet bell peppers, 1 red and 1 yellow, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into strips 3/8 inch/1 cm wide (3 cups/320 grams)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons curry powder
• 3 tomatoes, chopped (2 cups/320 g)
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 lb white fish fillet, divided into 4 equal pieces (500 g.)
• seasoned all-purpose flour, for dusting (I prefer Wondra to flour)
• 1⁄3 cup chopped fresh herbs (20 g)
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 400* F /210 °F.

2

ROAST THE BELL PEPPERS: Put the bell pepper strips in a bowl and mix together with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them out in a roasting pan and roast for 15-20 minutes until the edges of pepper begin to char.

3

Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.

4

MAKE THE SAUCE: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and coriander seeds and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, bay, curry powder, and tomatoes, and cook another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, some black pepper, and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Add the roast pepper to the sauce.

5

SEAR THE COD: heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a separate frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the fish with some salt, dip in the seasoned flour to coat. Sauté the fish about 3 minutes, turning once. (Transfer the fish to paper towels to absorb the extra oil, if needed. Then add to the pan with the peppers and onions, pushing the vegetables aside so the fish sits on the bottom of the pan. Add enough water just to immerse the fish (about 1 cup/250 ml) in the liquid.

6

FINISH THE DISH IN THE OVEN: place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature. The fish can now be served, but it is actually better after a day or two in the fridge. Before serving, taste and add salt and pepper, if needed, and garnish with fresh herb.

Notes

Adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi