I’ve been cooking a lot of cauliflower dishes recently. The heads in my local stores have been so firm and fresh looking that I keep buying them and then of course have to cook and eat them while they are still so perfect.
This Seared Cod and Cauliflower dish was our dinner recently. A sort of all-in-one-pan meal. So easy!
The creamy color was a lovely monochromatic sort of thing, but I added fresh parsley to give it a highlight of green.
Cod can be mild and tasteless. Cauliflower can be robust — I didn’t want it to overwhelm the fish. The toasty-tasting pine nuts (pignolis) and sweet raisins gave the dish a good balance and mix of flavors.
Seared Cod with Cauliflower, Pine Nuts, Capers and Raisins
1/2 small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 to 2 pounds cod, cut into 4 pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons drained small capers
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Cook the cauliflower in simmering water over high heat for about 4 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold the cod pieces and vegetables. Add the fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the fish over. Add the butter and let it melt. After it has melted, place the cauliflower, pine nuts, capers and raisins in the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the nuts are toasted, the fish is golden brown on the second side and the cauliflower has crisped. Pour the wine vinegar over the fish. Spoon equal amounts of fish, cauliflower and the other ingredients onto dinner plates, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Makes 4 servings