Oops, I did it again. Another frickin’ fish recipe. I haven’t cooked meat in a month, am adding fish to otherwise perfectly delicious vegetarian meals and have even (reluctantly) made peace with fish leftovers. It’s like I’ve morphed into a combo of my mom and aunt, who in a perfect world, would eat fish all day and all night. (Don’t worry, I’m not on their level yet. In my perfect world, I’d eat chocolate cake all day and all night.)
But all of a sudden, no doubt related to the fact that it’s summer, fish’s lightness is really appealing. It also requires very little effort to prepare, which is clutch when you’ve been town-hopping for weeks and have no time to cook. The best part? Fresh fish begs for a hefty dose of citrus, whether it’s orange, lemon or lime, which brightens the dish (whatever it may be) and kills any potential fishiness.
This sautéed cod could not get more simple: marinate the filets in fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper for anywhere from 2 minutes to 24 hours. Then cook it for 4 minutes on each side. I really shouldn’t even call it a recipe, since it’s so easy.
Only slightly more challenging than the fish are these lentils, tossed in a balsamic-Dijon dressing, then mixed with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives and plenty of fresh oregano. It’s delicious and summer-y on its own, especially if you crumble in a bit of feta or ricotta salata and maybe throw in some fresh baby spinach.
But together, the cod and lentils are a light, refreshing dinner — perfect for one of summer’s last remaining weekends.
Seared Cod with Mediterranean Lentils
Adapted from Alida’s Kitchen
Serves 4
For the lentils:
– 2-1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
– 1 1-inch thick slice of red onion
– 4 fresh oregano sprigs
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
1) In a medium saucepan, bring the stock (or water) to a boil. Add then onion, oregano and garlic and boil for 1 minute, then add the lentils. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are al dente — almost tender but still have a bit of a bite. Drain, and set aside to cool completely.
For the balsamic dressing:
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 tablespoon water
– 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
– 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1) Whisk all of the ingredients together until well-mixed. Pour over the cooled lentils. Refrigerate the dressed lentils for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
For the cod:
– 4 4-ounce cod filets, rinsed and patted dry
– juice of 1/2 a lemon
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
1) Squeeze the lemon juice over the cod filets and add salt and pepper on each side. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight.
2) Cook the cod: In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil on moderately high heat. Add the fish, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until one side has lightly browned. Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the fish has browned on the other side and is just cooked through — it will be slightly opaque in the thickest part of the filet. (Do this in batches if your skillet is smaller — you want to have room to cleanly flip the fish.)
Serve the seared cod with mediterranean lentils:
– 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
– 1 cup seedless cucumber, diced
– 1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
– 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
– 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
– lemon wedges (optional)
1) Toss the dressed lentils with the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, kalamata olives and fresh oregano. Serve the seared cod with the lentils, with an optional lemon wedge on the side.
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