Yes, I’m back! The cooking corner has been on a long hiatus, but it is back with a delicious first in the long and storied history of this blog series: A seafood recipe. To be specific, we will be working together to make One-Pan Sicilian Baked Cod with Roasted Tomatoes & Olives. I have always been a big fan of fish, so my decision to make this recipe was an easy one. I was immediately drawn to it once I perused the table of contents in Dig In: Over 100 Easy, Delicious, and Stress-Free Recipes to Make on Repeat by social media content creator Erin O’Brien.
One tendency I noticed almost immediately upon examining this cookbook was that O’Brien is not hung up on her way being the only way. She frequently offers up the notion that personal preference for certain ingredients is welcome, if not recommended. For example, in this recipe she recommends that Sauvignon Blanc be used, but any preferred dry white wine will do. I chose to use Orvieto Classico, a dry and crisp yet fruity Italian favorite of mine. (Note: It is also ideal for drinking chilled in this increasingly warm weather we’ve been enjoying!) I forget where I heard this advice, but a general rule of thumb for cooking with wine is to use one you would also enjoy drinking. I think it's just a general cooking axiom that people have come to accept.
The next step is the most dreaded (or must fun, depending on your philosophical bend), namely the prep work.
Fortunately, the prep is not extensive on this particular recipe. Halve your olives and tomatoes, thinly slice your red onion, and mince your garlic in whatever way seems best to you. This time I decided to do it the Old-Fashioned Way instead of relying on my kitchen gadgetry.
The real issue here is to make sure your fish fillets are ready to go. If you use frozen, make sure they are thoroughly thawed. For tips on thawing fish, look it up? Or I might do a post solely about fish preparation in the future. But at the moment that is helpful to neither of us. Once you have your fillets, pat them down with paper towel and be sure you get all the moisture out. Wet fillets = mushy fish.
Your next step is to bake everything except the fish and your spice rub for 20 minutes.
Now is the time to introduce the One True Star of the show, your fish. I used cod. Were price not an issue I may have used halibut or sea bass, fish that I prefer but also come with a much higher price tag. Rub your fish down with the seasoning blend, plop it in the middle and bake for 10-12 minutes.
My fish flaked apart beautifully, as properly cooked fish fillets should.
VERDICT: In a word, delicious. You really do taste every element of this dish. It’s bright and flavorful, topped off with citrusy notes from the wine. It’s a plus that I used a citrus-forward wine since well, frankly, I forgot to get the lemon juice. The only other small misstep is that my fish was ever-so-slightly overcooked. But it still tasted great! It was good on its own, but as the author points out it would also be excellent spooned over rice.
Thank you for joining me on this next step in our cooking journey. I hope to bring the cooking corner back soon, hungry for more. I’ll leave you now with some of my usual parting cliches. Have fun, take chances, and be bold!