Crisp Cod w/ Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Cod is an underused, underrated, and delicious fish.

Last year, we took advantage of restaurant week and ate lunch at DB Bistro. It was a classic case of “what do you expect for…?” The $25 meal was clearly comprised of scraps; bits and pieces scraped from cutting boards and formed into a composed dish. The fish option was cod.

Uptown at Dovetail we ate another $25 lunch, slightly more considered, where the fish again was cod. No surprise: it’s cheap, thus the logical option for a restaurant week menu. Halibut, snapper, salmon, tuna, scallops, are impossibly expensive for a discounted meal.

And yet cod is a perfect cooking fish: you don’t need the skin for it to crisp up in a hot pan; it’s firm enough to sauté without worrying about sticking, but not lean and solid like swordfish, which I find dries out easily; cod stands up to a variety of sauces rich and light.

Because it’s so versatile yet easy to handle, it’s a fish genetically designed for the weeknight table. A quick, tasty fish for a quick, tasty post.

Crisp Cod with Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Serves 4

1 red pepper, seeded, chopped
juice of one lemon
½ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
¼ cup canola
2 pounds cod, skinless, portioned into 8 oz fillets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper

1. In a blender or food processor add the pepper and lemon juice and puree. Slowly add the oils to form an emulsion. Season and reserve.
2. Season the fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When nearly smoking, gently lay in the fish. Let the fish cook until browned, roughly 2 ½ minutes. Flip and add the thyme and butter. Cook another 2 ½ minutes, basting the fish with the butter.
3. Spoon red pepper vinaigrette on plate, top with fish and sprinkle over some of the fried thyme leaves. Serve.