Nothing Fishy About This Elegant Meal. Peanut Crusted Cod Turned the Tide on Ho-Hum Monday Fare.

Main Course / October 28, 2014

I’ve been crazy busy lately. My to do list is beyond intimidating and here it is, 8:55 p.m. and I still haven’t crossed off the last task. But ya gotta eat for heaven’s sake, right? So at 5:30 I took a much needed break and did my best to mess up the kitchen — but good. (Like I needed something else to clean? Oh, well.)

I would categorize this as a #fabin40 recipe, but I was hurrying so fast that it was more like an episode from Chopped. And if you were making it, it might take about 50 minutes or longer so I didn’t push the whole 40 minute promise. HOWEVER, this is an incredibly quick meal. I was back in my office, working away on my computer, within 60 minutes. (I had to take photos of my food and that takes a bit of time, too!)

So here’s the gist. Flaky, moist cod is crusted with crushed, salted peanuts, a bit of curry powder, ginger powder, cumin and salt and pepper and baked in a 400 degree oven. The green beans were sauteed with stock and balsamic along with some raisins and apricots, and it was all served on a bed of fluffy rustic mashed potatoes that were just white potatoes boiled, then rough mashed with a fork with butter, cream, and salt and pepper. BAM! Download the recipe for the main and side dish and you’ll see my step-by-step instructions make it pretty darned easy to dazzle the other fishes in the sea, even when you’re still trying to find your flippers.

Peanut Ginger Curry Crusted Cod

With Balsamic Beans, Raisins and Apricots

Ingredients:

4 6 oz cod filets, patted dry
3 T olive oil
1 egg
½ C salted peanuts, crushed into small bits
¼ t curry powder
½ t ginger powder
¼ t cumin powder
Salt and pepper (1/2 t salt, ¼ t pepper)
½# green beans, fresh
¼ C dark raisins
12 dried apricots
½ stock or white wine
1 T mild balsamic (I used fig)
Fresh thyme to garnish

Direction:

In a baking dish, spread 1 T of the olive oil on the bottom. Then in a bowl, add the peanut pieces, curry, cumin, ginger, salt and pepper and mix with a fork. In another bowl, break an egg and whisk it well. Place each filet in the egg to cover then dredge on both sides with the peanut crust. Place filets in pan about ½ apart. Drizzle with 1 T oil. Cook in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until opaque.
While the fish bakes, heat 1 T oil on high in a saucepan. Add the green beans and turn down the heat to medium. Add the raisins and apricots and let sear for about 30 seconds. Then add the balsamic and then the stock to deglaze. Lower heat, and cook for about 5 minutes. Cover and let finish steaming for about 3 minutes.
I served over rustic mashed potatoes.