I have to tell you, this sublime dish hit the spot. We’ve been eating so much soup around here that a wonderful looking and tasting cod dish was perfect for last night. And the best part – it was fairly simple to put together. Just a few steps and some waiting around for the leeks to soften and you’re finished.
The Recipe
While you can use any white fish with this recipe, I chose cod because of its availability and soft texture. Cod is my “go to” fish for things like this. It’s really perfect.
By far though, the best part of this dish is the leeks and the wine with a dab of pub style mustard. The leeks are softened, which brings out their mellow flavor and when they’re combined with the mustard, a bit of salt and the white wine, they become to die for. The white wine is reduced and as it steams, the fish is cooked. Then, after the fish is removed from the skillet, the wine is reduced even more, which continues the softening of the leeks. The result is having your eyes roll back as you take your first bite. It’s that good.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
4 6-Ounce Skinless White Fish, Such as Cod
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Pound Leeks, Sliced Lengthwise and Cut into 1/2 Inch Pieces and Cleaned
1 Teaspoon Pub Style Mustard
3/4 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Tablespoon Parsley, Chopped
Step-by-Step Instructions
Yet again, we have another perfect recipe offered by America’s Test Kitchen and their wonderful resource called The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. This recipe is in typical straightforward fashion and didn’t fail in any respect. So thank you.
Prep the Ingredients
There wasn’t too much prep work involved with this recipe. Basically, all I had to do was to cut up and clean the leeks, piece out the fish and clean and chop the parsley. Just to let you know, I had to go out to our backyard garden in the dark last night to cut this parsley. It was worth it though. We go through so much of this stuff around here, it’s not even funny.
I took a few photos for you.
First, I cut up the leeks and cleaned them in a colander. Leeks are notoriously sandy and dirty because of all their layers. You need to really get in there to clean everything.
For the parsley, all I had to so was run them under some water and then chop them up. I knew they were relatively clean.
Finally, I patted the fish dry with some paper towels and then cut the fillet into portion sizes. Cod loses a lot of water when it cooks, so I didn’t go nuts with this part. I knew it was just the two of us who were going to eat it. If we had guests, I definitely would have had the seafood department at our grocery store be much more selective with the cut.
Start Cooking the Cod
You’ll need to get a plate ready near your stove top for the rest of this recipe. Warm a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan gets to temperature, add 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil to it. Then, place each piece of cod into the pan, upside down. Allow the fish to cook for 4 minutes, or until the part of the fish that’s touching the pan begins to turn opaque. At that point, carefully remove the fish from the pan and place it right side up on the plate near your stove top.
Soften the Leeks
Next, place the leeks, mustard and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the same skillet. Cook the leeks, while stirring, for about 12 minutes. After this time, the leeks should be somewhat softened.
After the leeks soften, add in the white wine and bring to a simmer over heat heat. When the wine begins to steam, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Finish Cooking Fish
At this point, place the cod, raw side down, back into the skillet, on top of the leeks. Be very careful during this step. You want to keep the cod intact. Also, be sure to clean the plate the cod was on and replace it where it was. When you have the fish in the skillet, place the cover on and let the fish cook for about 8 minutes. At the end of this time, the cod should be completely white and cooked through. Again, carefully remove the fish from the skillet and transfer to the cleaned plate near your stove top.
Reduce the Wine
Again, you’ll only have the leeks and other minor ingredients in the skillet. Increase the heat to high and stir constantly for about 2 minutes until the wine sauce has steamed off and thickened some. After that, turn off the heat.
Plate & Serve
Divide the leeks between four plates. Then, place some fish on each serving of leeks. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle some chopped parsley over each plate. Serve and enjoy.
The Final Cod & Leek Dish
Again, this dish was so delicious. Looking through the ingredient list and reading the cooking technique, I’m sure you can imagine just how good it must taste. If you enjoy white fish, give this recipe a try. It’s worth it. Thanks for reading!
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