Cod with Zucchini and Tomatoes ~ Cabillaud Aux Courgettes

By Debra Fioritto

I just returned from Provence and still cannot get enough of those sunny flavor combinations: tomatoes, garlic, onions. When I'm in France and eating at a restaurant, I always order the fish of the day dish and I have NEVER been disappointed. The French know fish and they have fabulous fish recipes. Here is one that is not only fabulous, it is fail-proof and filled with all those southern French flavors! Et voila:

Ingredients:

4 cod fillets

4 small zucchini

3 tomatoes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled

flat leaf parsley

salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut a small x on the bottom of each tomato. Using a slotted spoon, dip the tomatoes into the boiling water, about 1 minute each. Remove, drain and rinse under cold water. Peel the tomatoes. Cut in half, gently squeeze out some of the seeds and then dice. Wash the zucchini and slice them into rounds. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. DO NOT let it brown. Add the zucchini, tomatoes and parsley. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the zucchini is cooking, prepare a steam basket. Place the fish in the basket and steam for about 12 minutes.

To serve:

Divide the zucchini/tomato mixture among 4 plates. Place a cod fillet on top. Season with salt and pepper and serve.


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COMMENTS

  • Alan Harris

    Parisian Lover 1 Comments
    great recipe This recipe especially appeals to me because I make it "estate produced": My son participates in a conservation program hatching and growing Pacific white sea bass, when he then goes out diving and spear-fishes, so we have the fish, "estate", starting from egg. We grow the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic (I also add scallions) and parsley ourselves. To be an absolute purist, we also have sea salt, harvested and evaporated ourselves, and rose pepper (from local trees, also from our son's house), so except for the olive oil, which we have to cheat and get non-estate, the entire recipe can be produced from our own grown or gathered products. That adds a good measure of satisfaction to the excellent blend of flavors of the dish.

    I do vary the preparation a bit. I saute the garlic (and onions) in a metal gratin pan, then add the zucchini, then the tomatoes and parsley, and simmer them on stove top for a while. Instead of steaming the sea bass, I place it (raw) on top of the pre-cooked zucchini and sauce, and put it all in the oven for a brief cooking just until the sea bass is done. This allows the juices from the fish to run into the sauce and zucchini below it and enrich the flavor. Serving is the same, with the fish on top and not mixed in to the zucchinis and sauce below.

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