Oh my aching stomach. Two turkey dinners in three days has put me over the top. While I do love Thanksgiving and my feasting family, by the time the holiday weekend is over I feel more stuffed than the turkey and I’m ready for a poultry time out (until Christmas that is).
So this week I tested a lighter recipe to help us all recover from the gluttonous holiday weekend. I made Fresh Cod with Raïto Sauce. Serve this dish with a side of greens or your favourite steamed veggie and you’ve got yourself a delicious dinner.
Let’s deconstruct the dish shall we? All of the ingredients were fairly easy to find at my local grocery store which was good because I had no time this week to visit more than one store. Unfortunately, the one exception to this was the cod. Having no luck at the meat counter, I resorted to the freezer section and decided to take my chances.
Lesson 1: Go fresh and go to the fish monger! Thanks to the sauce my frozen fillets didn’t ruin dinner but I think fresh ones definitely would have enhanced it.
Unfortunately, on testing day I got a little hung up at work, so I didn’t really have three hours to cure the cod before frying. I decided to skip this step. Let’s just say, the fish did not fry well and my pan was a mess.
Lesson 2: If you are going to skip a step you need to improvise completely. In this case I should have just grilled the fish since I was just adding the sauce before serving anyway. Truthfully, going forward I will always opt to grill instead of fry to save time and fat.
As for the sauce, there’s nothing to it really – just sauté and simmer away. Of course, reading the ingredients list carefully is always important (I got fresh fennel instead of dried, whoops!). You’ll also want to make sure you leave yourself a little extra time for blanching the tomatoes.
Lesson 3: How to blanch a tomato. Cut an X into the base of the tomato. Immerse in boiling water for 40 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and dip in ice water. Slide off skin, cut tomatoes in half, remove seeds and then drain in colander.
The final results? Despite my fish falling apart the dish was delicious. Both T. and I found the flavour complexities of the sauce to be delightful. In fact the next time I make it I might try it with salmon or perhaps even chicken. Heck, if you’re not totally sick of turkey and you have leftovers could even mix those with the sauce to serve over rice or pasta. It could be a nice alternative to the predictable soup or pot pie your family’s expecting this week.
Have advice or a tip on how I can improve my skills or this dish? Leave me a comment below. I would also love suggestions for what recipe you'd like me to try next. I can't wait to hear from you!
WIN a cookbook library!
Read Sarah's Space every Tuesday in the month of October, leave a comment and you'll be entered to WIN this cookbook library valued at more than $100: Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations by Eric Akis, The Provencal Cookbook by Guy Gedda, The Best of Chef at Home by Michael Smith and Cooking From Above: Asia by Jody Vassallo. Click here for full contest details including rules and regulations.
Thought that was sweet? You'll enjoy: