The Lenten season is upon us and this Catholic plans to bring you one fish dish a week until Easter. And, like a good, multitasking Cafeteria Catholic the season allows me to honor one of my resolutions for the year: cook and eat more fish.  More importantly, cook and eat more sustainable fish. The fish I used in this recipe was longline-caught, Pacific Cod, a safe choice according to the gurus at Monterey Bay Aquarium. I’ve raised this point before but if you haven’t downloaded their Seafood WATCH pocketcard for your wallet or or PDA, do it!  It’s a fantastic cheat sheet, giving you quick access to the most sustainable fish to purchase and consume.

So, Friday night’s cod…

I thought it turned out quite well. It’s a mild, relatively oily fish and it withstood a fair amount of heat and aggressive cooking I applied. I have not cooked much fish in the past and I’m trying to get comfortable with the concept of under-cooking my fish, resting assured that the residual heat, from pan-to-plate, will finish the cooking process, beautifully. I will elaborate a bit more on under-cooking fish–and quality meats, in general–in a future post as I think it’s an important point to make. Under-cooking is also a sign of confidence in the kitchen. However, I would only advise doing this if you know the sources of your protein! Again, more later.

I served this fish on a bed of lentils. Lentils du puy or French Green Lentils, to be exact. The “poor man’s caviar” adds a wonderful earthiness to a dish from the sea. A latter day “surf ‘n turf,” if you will. Lentils du puy are wonderful to use as they maintain their integrity and bite during the cooking process. Now, there are times where you want a lentil to self-destruct within minutes of cooking–red lentils in a dal, for example. But these hearty rounds compliment–exquisitely–the buttery flakiness of the cod. The recipe I used for inspiration was from Gourmet magazine six years ago. I finished the dish with a nice spritz of fresh lemon juice, some roughly-chopped flat-leaf parsley and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Lentils–Lenten Season?  Extra-Virgin Olive Oil–Extra-Virgin Mary? Don’t make fun of me. It works. Perhaps.

Share with me your fish recipes!

Sauteed Cod with Lentils
Gourmet Magazine (RIP)
Serves 4

For lentils

• 1 cup dried lentils (preferably French green lentils often called lentilles du Puy); 7 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion (1 large)
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional (optional) for drizzling

For fish

• 4 (5- to 6-ounces) pieces cod fillet (3/4 to 1 inch thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Prepare lentils:
Cover lentils with cold water by 1 1/2 inches in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender, 12 to 25 minutes. Drain in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

While lentils are simmering, melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then stir in onion, garlic, and salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Stir in lentils and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten (1/4 to 1/2 cup) and cook until heated through.

Just before serving, stir in parsley, lemon juice, pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil.

Cook fish while onion finishes cooking:
Pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat butter and oil in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté fish, turning over once, until browned and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Serve fish with lentils and drizzle with additional extra-virgin olive oil if desired.

2 Responses to “Cod and Lentils”