Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Cod, Schmod.

Cod may the most flavorless food in the world. I should know by now not to bother with it, as I'm never happy with how it turns out. I'm going to learn my lesson this time. Really.

Cod and Green Pepper Sandwich (pg 292 of The Family Meal) lured me in because it looked so quick and easy.
First, you fry "long, sweet green peppers" in oil until the skins brown. At the supermarket, my choice was between bell peppers and an assortment of hot peppers. I went with the bell. Turns out that, due to their roundness, bell peppers are exceedingly difficult to keep flat in hot, spitting oil. I'm a scaredy-cat when it comes to spitting oil, so Matt cut up the peppers and tended to them while I prepped the fish. The fish is salted, floured, and dipped in egg, then right in the oil.

The sandwich is simply the peppers, fish, and mayo. Boring.

Conclusion: Just okay. I won't be making this again.
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    Cod totally makes me think of Peter Pan & Hook :-)

    Cher

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  2. UnknownOctober 25, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    Believe it or not I have had some really good cod- fresh cod ( not frozen) , in New England. It is so bland it just begs to be married with the classic Spanish parsley garlic sauce AKA "salsa verde" - and here is where a dash of anchovies in the sauce really help a lot too.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 25, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    Too bad. I do like a good fish sandwich. It looks good anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownOctober 25, 2011 at 8:15 PM

    this may bum you out a bit, but looking at your recipe you def. needed to use long skinny Italian frying peppers, AKA cubanelles, not bell peppers. These are very mild, lt. green, thin skinned and easy growing from seed- very versatile cooking peppers, they are great with onions,sausages and marinara sauce, of course, but also great stuffed with a savory mix of cheese, olives, capers, breadcrumbs, meat,sausage ham ... again, you will become so well acquainted with good frying peppers and good qualityanchovies in southern Italy, where these are ubiquitous as opposed to impossible to find!

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  5. UnknownOctober 25, 2011 at 8:47 PM

    OK not that you plan to make cod again anytime soon but if you do - this is exactly what I was thinking as an easy Spanish, flavorful codfish recipe (or use it with any other thick mild white fish fillets or steaks):
    2 lbs fresh cod or other thick white fish
    3-4TB olive oil
    5 cloves garlic
    1 tbsp plain flour
    1 shot white wine
    1 glass water
    lemon to taste
    A handful (or two) of chopped parsley
    salt, pepper to taste
    Method

    1. Thinly slice the garlic and start frying it from a cold pan with the olive oil, so the oil infuses with the garlic.

    2. Once the garlic starts becoming golden add the flour and toast it for a couple of minutes so it loses the doughy taste.

    3. Pour in the white wine while stirring constantly. Then add the water a little at a time while continuing to stir. This will give you a smooth and thin sauce.

    4. Once the sauce becomes creamy add the thinly chopped flat parsley.

    5. Add the cod fillets skin side down(if they are not skinned) and cook one side for two minutes.

    6. Flip the fillets and cook the other side for three minutes.

    7. Keep shaking the pan slowly so the fat from the cod mixes into the sauce, making it even more delicate and aromatic.

    NOTE: you can add capers, anchovies, olives, lemon, peppers, tomatoes , more lemon juice and/or lemon zest for more flavor, to your taste...

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