Sunday, January 18, 2009

Pistachio-Crusted Cod...

7 new recipes for us this past week... looking through the recipes, I think we would pick out our favorites as being those English Lemon Shortbread Strips, that Prosciutto-and-Fresh-Mozzarella Frittata and of course those cheesy Red Pepper, Fontina and Prosciutto Calzones.

While we do eat a pretty good variety when it comes to food, one area we are lacking in is the seafood (no, not see-food!) department. Jeff is finicky to much of it, save for his favorite shrimp, and I can't say I'm the biggest fan either. Sometimes it's texture, other times it is just the flavor that we have issue with, but we both typically are ok with firm white fish. The issue usually comes into play when it is served fairly plain (either poached or just a quick sauté)... so I try to make sure we pick out recipes that either have stronger flavors or a fun breading. Which is mainly the reason this Pistachio-Crusted Cod ended up on our table as dinner!

Ready in under 30 minutes, this dish really came together in a flash and is perfect for a busy weeknight meal. Placing the fish on a foil-lined baking sheet and seasoning with salt and fresh ground black pepper was first in line. For their nutty coating, shelled pistachios, a mess of fresh parsley and a raw clove of garlic are added to a food processor and blitzed until they are coarsely chopped. To help it all stick together, and to the fish, olive oil is slowly drizzled in until combined and finely chopped.

This thick, pesto-like mixture is then slathered over the tops of each fillet of cod. Instead of frying these on the stove-top, the fish are roasted in the oven just until opaque throughout. One of the best parts? Using that little bit of foil to line the baking sheet makes clean up a breeze! Fairly mild as is, we did find the cod was able to hold its place against that pistachio topping and not disappear into tasting only like nuts and parsley. Saying that, the topping was still flavorful enough to keep us interested and not turn up our noses at the fish - woo! We did serve this with a round of lemon on top to squirt a little zesty acid over for a little more enticement.

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