Cod with Dill and Preserved Lemon Sauce

I am always looking for new flavor combinations to spice up my old favorites. Preserved lemons give a burst of salty brightness far more complex than just a squeeze of lemon and a bit of salt. They are worth the effort. The food writers have gone mad for Sriracha chili sauce, showing up everywhere – a combination of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. I have discovered flash frozen wild caught Cod with each filet vacuum sealed. They can be defrosted in cool water in minutes and so handy to keep in the freezer.

 

4 6 ounce skinless cod filets

1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup dry white wine

 

1 pound Haricot Verts – French green beans

 

Preserved Lemon Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce – Thai chili sauce

2 tablespoons finely diced preserved lemon rinds

 

 

• Heat a large sauté then add the butter and olive oil
• Season the cod with salt and pepper and the dill and sauté about 1 minute on each side for thin filets, 2 per side for thicker
• Remove the filets to a warm platter and deglaze the pan with the white wine scraping up any brown bits and the dill, simmer about one minute then pour over the filets
• Serve with Haricot Verts green beans and top with the preserved lemon sauce

 

To boil the Haricot Verts

Bring at least 2 courts of water to a rapid boil, add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, add beans and time 5 minutes from the moment you put them in the water. Remove and serve

 

 

Preserved Lemons

Makes one pint jar

 

2-3 lemons – blemish free

¼ cup kosher salt, more if needed

Extra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed

 

• Place 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a clean one pint jar
• Cut the lemons in quarters
• Sprinkle them all over with salt
• Put the lemon slices one at a time into the jar, squishing them down so they give up some of their juice
• Add more lemon juice to cover the lemons if necessary
• Top the jar with the rest of the salt and shake
• Put in the refrigerator shaking the jar every day for the first few days, then occasionally. They will be ready to use in one month
• To use: rinse the lemon wedge under running water to remove the excess salt, and discard the pulp (it retains too much salt)
• They keep for months in the refrigerator