Roast Cod Niçoise
Serves 4
This main-course dinner dish is inflenced by the famous salade niçoise of Ripert's French homeland.
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
| 4 |
cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus 12 large leaves |
1 |
medium red bliss potatoes
(1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds) |
| 1 |
cup extra-virgin olive oil, ,plus 2 tablespoons |
1/2 |
pound green beans, trimmed |
| 1 1/2 |
tablespoons salt, divided |
4 |
7-ounce cod fillets, 1 1/2 inches thick |
| 2 |
medium ripe tomatoes |
2 |
tablespoons canola oil |
| 1 |
teaspoon drained capers, barely chopped |
2 |
tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 8 |
oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped |
1/4 |
teaspoon freshly ground white pepper |
| 1 |
anchovy fillet, chopped, white pepper to taste |
2 |
teaspoons balsamic vinegar |
Related Recipe:
Wine Pairing:
- Domaine Daniel Rion Nuits Saint Georges—1er Cru Vigne Rondes—2001 (kosher) $60
- Chop 4 cups basil, place in a blender, and drizzle in 1 cup olive oil. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt. Blend on high for 1 minute. Set basil oil aside.
- Fill a medium bowl with water and ice. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cut a small (1/2-inch) X into the bottom of each tomato using a sharp knife. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water and leave for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice water until cool enough to handle. Remove tomato skins (they should come off easily). Halve tomatoes crosswise, discard seeds and pulp, and cut into 1-inch dice. Combine tomatoes, capers, olives, and anchovy in a bowl and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove potatoes to colander and run cold water over them for 1 minute, until potatoes are cool enough to handle. Peel and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.
- Using the same boiling water, blanch the green beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold running water, and reserve.
- Heat oven to 550°F. Season the cod on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 ovenproof 9- or 10-inch nonstick skillets over high heat, add a tablespoon of canola oil to each, and heat until very hot but not smoking. Place 2 pieces of cod in each skillet and cook until bottom side is golden brown and crusted, about 3 minutes. Turn and sear the other side for 30 seconds. Place both pans in the oven and roast until cooked through and flaky, about 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine butter and 2 tablespoons water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk until the butter is melted. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper, being careful not to break the slices, about 3 minutes. Add the green beans and warm through. Thinly slice the 12 basil leaves.
- To serve, arrange the potatoes and green beans in a single layer in the center of 4 dinner plates. Lay a piece of cod on top of each plate, crusted side up. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture around the potatoes and spoon 2 tablespoons basil oil over the tomatoes so that surface of plate is lightly covered in oil. On each, drizzle 1/2 teaspoon vinegar into the oil and scatter the sliced basil over the top. Serve immediately.
TIP: The easiest way to slice basil leaves thinly is to stack them one on top of the other, roll them into a tight cylinder, and slice them crosswise into thin strips.
