Cod with Romesco Sauce, Hazelnuts, Lemon, and Parsley
Cod with Romesco Sauce, Hazelnuts, Lemon, and Parsley
The delicate mild flavor of the cod easily takes on the richness of the Romesco sauce, nuttiness of the hazelnuts, acidity of the lemon and freshness of the parsley.
Ingredients
ROMESCO SAUCE
- ⅓ cups hazelnuts - blanched (see note)
- 6 tablespoon olive oil - divided
- Kosher salt
- 4 red bell peppers
- 1 med tomato - halved crosswise, seeded
- 2 cloves garlic - finely grated
- 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- ½ teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
FISH AND ASSEMBY
- 6 oz skinless cod fillets
- 2 tablespoon olive oil - plus morefor serving
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest - finally grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups parley leaves with tender stems
Instructions
ROMESCO
- Preheat oven to 350º. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown and fragrant, 7–10 minutes; let cool. Coarsely chop. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 2 Tbsp. oil and season with salt; set aside.
- Place a rack in upper third of oven and heat broiler. Broil peppers and tomatoes, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, turning peppers occasionally, until charred all around and flesh is soft, 12–15 minutes.
- Slip off tomato skins; discard. Transfer peppers to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they can steam a bit (this extends the cooking and also makes the charred peels easier to remove). Peel peppers (flesh should feel slippery) and discard seeds; coarsely chop. Transfer peppers and tomatoes to a mortar and pestle and smash, covering the mortar slightly with your hands to prevent juices from splattering everywhere, until mixture achieves a saucy consistency. (You can also do this by pulsing in a food processor.)
- Transfer romesco sauce to a clean medium bowl. Add garlic, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and remaining ¼ cup oil; season with salt and let sit 15 minutes.
FISH AND ASSEMBY
- Preheat oven to 350°. Place fish a rimmed baking sheet and rub with with 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt on both sides. Bake fish until cooked through and a paring knife can easily slip through flesh, 10–12 minutes. Top with zest while fish is hot.
- Toss parsley, lemon juice, a drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Spoon romesco onto plates, then spoon reserved oily hazelnuts over sauce. Arrange fish over, then top with parsley mixture.
Notes
Charring then steaming the peppers ensures that the romesco will reach a saucy, juicy consistency.
BLANCHING HAZELNUTS
Ingredients
- 2 cups of water
- 3 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 cup of hazelnuts
- cold water
- ice
Instructions
-
- In a deep pot, boil your water.
- SLOWLY add in your baking soda. It will fizz up to watch out (hence the deep pot).
- Add in your hazelnuts and boil for about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, prepare some ice cold water (cold water with ice).
- After 3 minutes, dip out a hazelnut with a slotted spoon and immediately put it in the ice cold water.
- Using your fingers, try and remove the skins. If they easily come off, scoop out the rest of the hazelnuts and put into the ice cold water. If the skins are still tough to get off, then boil for another minute or two.
- Once the skins are removed, place them on a clean towel or paper towel to dry.
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