Sinful Alaskan Cod

Sinful Alaskan Cod

As most of you know, I used to live alone, with just my two dogs to watch over me, until the Great Lisle Flood of 2013. They did a pretty good job of supervising me, but they are a little more lenient than they should be. This may come as a shock, but I am not the most disciplined of people. 

Food is probably my biggest vice. Well maybe food and wine. Oh, yes, there’s coffee too. Oh, and ... Never mind! I over indulge, ok. Let’s just leave it at that. I have been trying to eat healthier these days. I don’t always succeed, but I try.

Wild caught Alaskan cod, that’s got to be healthy right? It tastes pretty good too, especially after I add olive oil, tomatoes, feta cheese, parmesan cheese and pasta. I admit that sometimes I take the ‘health’ out of health food. Hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? Just don’t tell anyone how many helpings I have when I serve this.

Olive oil

1 lb. grape tomatoes*

1 lb. assorted small heirloom tomatoes*

(*or you can use all cherry tomatoes)

9 cloves of garlic

Red pepper flakes

1 bowl of fresh basil leaves

1 lb. Alaskan wild caught cod filets

Cajun seasoning

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 lb. crumbled feta cheese

1/2 lb. penne pasta, cooked al dente

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Pick out a good olive oil and add enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add all the tomatoes along with a good sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until they start to break up. Add eight cloves of garlic, smashed and minced. Continue cooking until all the tomatoes have cooked down, about ten minutes. Turn off the heat and add a good handful of torn basil leaves. Taste for salt and pepper, stir and set aside. If you don't like the texture of the tomato skins, use an immersion blender to purée the sauce.

Instead of cod, go out and catch your own fish!

Heat another skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom and add the cod filets. It is ok to add them frozen. Season the top of the cod with cajun seasoning as it sears for about a minute. Add one clove of garlic, smashed and minced and carefully turn the cod over. Season this side with cajun seasoning. After a minute add the wine and bring to a boil. Place the skillet under a broiler and broil for a minute. Turn the cod over and broil for another minute. 

Turn the cod over again and cover the fish with half of the tomato sauce. Top the sauce with the crumbled feta cheese and return it to the broiler. Broil until everything is hot and sizzling. Toss the pasta with the remaining sauce along with the grated parmesan and a palmful of torn basil leaves. 

Serving

To serve this place the cod on a plate and smother it with its sauce and cheese. Now and a big pile of the pasta and add even more torn basil over the top (if a little is good, a lot is better, right? That’s kind of a guiding philosophy for me). 

Now add a tossed salad, some fresh baked bread with butter and then open a good bottle of Italian wine. When you clean up your plate, have seconds of everything.