White cod and yellow potatoes are a classic Mediterranean pairing. While a meal centered on this mild, flakey fish can seem gourmet, urban farmers with a busy schedules don’t need to spend a lot of time on it. I cooked up this delicious skillet dish, boasting a kaleidoscope of colors, all in one pan, and served it alongside hearty kale salad.
I easily added color the dish using the gorgeous new potatoes from my CSA. Thinly slice your own deep-blue and pink-fleshed spuds, and layer them with the last few red plum tomatoes of the season. After a brief cooking time, top them with the snowy white cod filets, which will cook right upon the pile of vegetables. I also tossed in green olives and a minced hot pepper for pizzazz. Before serving, garnish the meal with chopped cilantro and dark red paprika to finish off your masterpiece.
Other skinless filets can be used in this recipe, such as halibut or monkfish. If you have skin-on pieces, you can sauté the fish in a little olive oil, remove it from the pan, and then lay the pieces on top of the vegetables in the skillet once the vegetables are almost all cooked. Thinner, skin-on filets of fish, such as snapper or scrod, will work if you adjust the cooking time. Don’t choose a very delicate fish, such as sole or flounder, as it will fall apart. Other vegetable combos are possible too; a variety of peppers, green beans or eggplant slices can replace the tomatoes for your own colorful twist.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 hot pepper, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2-3 T. olive oil
- 6 small multi-colored potatoes, thinly sliced
- 6 small tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 12 small green or black olives
- 2-4 skinless cod filets
- handful chopped cilantro (optional)
- smoked paprika (optional)
Preparation
In large skillet, sauté garlic and hot pepper briefly olive oil. Add in potatoes, cover, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, until just starting to brown. Add tomatoes and onion. Cook 3 to 5 more minutes. Toss in olives and place the cod filets on top of vegetables. Cover, and cook 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque and cooked through. Garnish with cilantro and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
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