Herb Roasted Cod

April 11, 2016 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and this week I’m making Herb Roasted Fish for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and “challenges” along the way along with suggestions on how to adapt Ina’s recipe to a small kitchen.

Episode: “Italian at Home”

The Set-up: Ina, Jeffrey and their friends are recreating recipes from a memorable trip to Italy.

The Menu: Herb Roasted Fish, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Celery and Parmesan Salad, Affogato Sundaes

0:49 – Ina and Jeffrey took a trip to Florence, Italy recently and it seems like he won the ordering game at Cibrèo when he ordered a baked fish. Ina’s making her version at home.

1:30 – The technique is a little different – the Herb Roasted Fish baked in parchment paper which allows the cod and seasonings to steam together as they cook.

2:45 – Wow, this comes together so fast. Once the fish has its own sheet of parchment it’s topped with a few sprigs of thyme, a couple large olives, and a smattering of salt, pepper and olive oil. #howeasyisthat?

3:19 – Now that the fish is prepped – Ina is brushing the edges with egg wash to help seal the packets. It’s like a little craft project.

4:22 – PS: I see Ina doing this on her lovely butcher block cutting boards, but I’d probably just work straight on the baking sheet and save myself some clean up.

5:38 – Dinner is going to be served “al fresco” and the table setting is suitably rustic: a linen-lined bread basket filled with fresh lemons and lemon leaves.

6:01 –The theme is modern square plates, napkins, glasses lined up in a row and Ina is channeling her inner butler; making sure the spacing is just so. She thinks the Italians are so effortlessly stylish, but she is too!

9:33 – On to the Celery and Parmesan Salad. Ina says that Italians use celery more than Americans and I agree – why have I relegated celery to a filler or garnish?

10:40 – Per usual, Ina is making her own dressing but this time it’s a lemon and celery seed vinaigrette, not her traditional mustard-based version.

11:55 – The dressing also involves anchovy paste – another ingredient I have an odd relationship with. When I don’t know it’s there we’re cool, but it kinda weirds me out.

12:14 – One thing about a celery salad is that it probably stays crisp (even when dressed) for quite a long time.

13:29 Over to Barbara and Bobby Liberman who are on the hunt for wine. They’re sticking with Italian vineyards – a red for appetizers and a white for dinner. Success!

14:36 – For appetizers Ina is going rustic and casual – a few salted cashews, marinated olives, and some artisanal potato chips.

15:07 – It really doesn’t get easier than this. Step 1: open package, Step 2: place in silver bowl, Step 3: profit.

18:42 – Jeffrey, Bobby, and Barbara are relaxing in the backyard over the appetizers and reminiscing about their trip while Ina cooks Creamy Parmesan Polenta.

19:35 – Full disclosure: I am horrendous at cooking polenta it regularly comes out too thick and gummy. So, let listen to Ina’s words of polenta wisdom instead - whisk first to prevent lumps, then stir with a wooden spoon over low heat. It sounds so simple!

20:18 – Jeffrey makes an appearance to top off Ina’s glass of wine and gets to help out by putting the Herb Roasted Fish in the oven. He also wins husband points for checking on Ina.

21:00 – Time to finish the polenta by adding the parmesan cheese and plate the Celery and Parmesan Salad with shavings of parmesan, toasted walnuts, and parsley leaves.

22:11 – Dinner is served! Barbara immediately recognizes the fish recipe and exclaims how lovely it is. Well played, Ina.

23:39 – A mutual agreement that no one knows how to ask for wine in Italian, even though Bobby can (allegedly) order a bottle in six languages. That seems like a miss if you ask me, time to take some Italian lessons Mr. Liberman.

27:22 – While her guests wind down from dinner Ina’s working on dessert: Affogato Sundaes, which combine both dessert and coffee by pouring espresso over vanilla and hazelnut ice cream. Sounds like heaven.

28:36 – She’s using a Nespresso machine to brew espresso shots. Some day when we have slightly more counter space…

29:54 – These are insane: coffee liqueur, homemade whipped cream, and chopped chocolate covered espresso beans. I want to do a face-plant into these bowls. Amazing.

Final Thoughts:
What a fun idea to recreate a memorable dinner from a trip with friends.

Trust Ina to make a themed dinner so elegant and effortless with simple ingredients.

I don’t think I ever fully appreciated the power of a silver bowl to make everything feel special and intentional.

Lessons Learned:
I’ve wanted to try cooking en papillote - French for "in parchment" - or al cartoccio – since this is an episode about Italian cooking – for a long time and as I watched Ina cook the Herb Roasted Fish I was inspired to finally do it. What’s a bit funny to me is that if you replace the elegant cod with something like trout you’re really just one step removed from campfire cooking.

Fish Selection - It is worth asking your seafood counter helper for thicker, meaty pieces of cod as I find they stand up to the roasting process better. If, you have some variation in size among the filets, then I’d recommend putting the smaller ones on the same sheet pan and staggering their into the oven by a minute or two. That way everything is done at the same time and is perfectly cooked.

Packet Construction – I tried two different ways of sealing the packets – Ina’s empanada style and what I think of as deli style (rolled toward the middle and then tucked under. In both cases without the egg wash to seal them closed they did leak a bit but the results were still excellent.

Seasoning – The cooking process is somewhere between poaching and steaming so it’s important to add plenty of seasoning so that the delicate flavor of the fish is enhanced and the liquid creates a delicious sauce. I made a few changes to Ina's original recipe swapping in butter butter for the olive oil and capers for the olives.

Herb Roasted Fish in Parchment Paper (4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 (8 ounce) boneless snapper or cod fillets
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2-3 lemons) freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons (3-4 sprigs) fresh thyme
2 teaspoons drained capers

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pat the fish dry with paper towels and place each piece on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then place 1/2 tablespoon of butter under each filet. Drizzle with lemon juice and scatter the thyme leaves and capers over the top. Repeat with the other three pieces of fish evenly dividing the seasonings among the pieces of fish.

Beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon of water for an egg wash. Brush the egg wash around the edge of the parchment paper and fold it in half. Carefully fold the edge of the parchment paper under and around the fish to make a package. Place the package on a sheet pan and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Serve hot in the parchment paper.

Lightly adapted and rewritten from Ina Garten’s Herb Roasted Fish.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
1,000,000%. All I used were 2 rimmed sheet pans, a chef’s knife, small cutting board, measuring spoons (but really you could just estimate, this is a forgiving recipe) and a fish spatula. Parchment paper and paper towels are essential here.

The Verdict:
Lord this is good. Trust Ina to pinpoint a restaurant quality meal that takes so little effort you could almost forget you're cooking. Delicately poached code in its own buttery, lemony, faintly herbal juices while the capers add their own briny punch to the mix. Point 2: it will never cease to be a teat that in the time it takes my rickety little oven to heat up, I can have the entire main course prepped and ready to go.

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

August 25, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

If you had asked me, say 10 years ago, whether I’d be eating, let alone recommend making fish tacos I’d have said you were nuts. Before I lived in Texas I had a weird, Taco Bell-informed concept of Tex-Mex where I assumed everything would be (should be?) spicy, melted-cheese covered, and possibly involving pinto beans. None of those words, perhaps with the exception of spicy, was anything I wanted anywhere near fish. Eww. No way.

And so, I avoided the fish tacos on every menu like the plague until one fine day shortly after we moved to Dallas we stopped at a roadside taco stand housed in a converted gas station called Rusty Taco. The menu was a revelation to this Yankee that things other than ground beef and a ton of shredded jack cheese could be contained in a soft tortilla. Mike and I ordered a variety of their offerings, pork with pineapple, brisket, and you guessed it: fish.

Another revelation. I loved the bright freshness of the white fish topped with a squeeze of lime, layered over a bed of crunchy thinly sliced red cabbage, and lightly drizzled with spicy crema. I was a new convert to the dish and psyched by the realization that stopping for a taco (or 2 or 3) didn’t have to mean a queso-induced food coma.

The recipe below isn’t a direct interpretation of Rusty’s version, just my personal preferences drawn from the many variations I’ve eaten since. But I’ll still remember and tip my cap to that first bite sitting under the whirling fan, just out of the hot Texas sun with a cold margarita to keep me company.

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa (serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh mahi mahi, skin removed
1 package small soft tacos, 8 flour or 16 corn (plan to double up if using corn)
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups (2 medium) diced ripe mangos
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
4 limes, divided
3 tablespoons minced cilantro, divided
5 ounces lime yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Instructions:
Zest and juice three of the four limes. Cut the fourth lime into 8 wedges and reserve. Next, peel and dice the mangos into 1/3 inch pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the red onion, cilantro, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2-3 tablespoons lime juice according to taste. Mix the ingredients together until evenly combined and set aside in the refrigerator.

Next, in a small bowl mix the lime yogurt with 1 tablespoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and set aside in the refrigerator.

To cook the fish, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke. While the oil heats, pat the mahi mahi dry with paper towels and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. Sprinkle one side generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper just before adding to the pan placing the seasoned side down.

Cook in batches if necessary to give the fish plenty of room, and don’t try to move or turn them until 3-4 minutes have passed and the edges have begun to turn golden brown. If the pieces begin to curl up, or aren’t getting enough contact with the pan, gently press the fish down with a spatula. While the first side is cooking, sprinkle the unseasoned side with kosher salt and pepper.

When you’re ready to turn, use a spatula to gently nudge the edges, they should come away from the pan with minimal effort. Flip and cook another 3 minutes on the other side until the fish is just opaque. Same rules apply – no fiddling, give them room.

When all the fish has been cooked, assemble the tacos by layering 2 corn tortillas, then topping with a drizzle of the lime cilantro crema, shredded red cabbage, and 2-3 pieces of mahi mahi. Add a spoonful of the mango salsa and serve immediately with the lime wedges.

Salsa adapted from Bon Appétit’s Mango Salsa. Need more advice on handling mangoes? Real Simple has a great video tutorial! What about your fish pan-frying game? Saveur and Fine Cooking both have excellent advice on the subject.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes! I used a medium mixing bowl, small bowl, and 12” sauté pan along with a Y-shaped peeler, chef’s knife, microplane grater, a rubber spatula and a metal spatula. (A flexible fish spatula would be ideal, but I don’t own one at the moment!) You’ll also want a liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and some paper towels.

And, depending on your ventilation situation a small fan placed in the kitchen window is a useful addition.

The Verdict:
To me, this dish just sings of summer whether that’s in a breezy coastal location or punishingly hot North Texas and is the perfect dinner to make when it’s too hot to cook, but not quite too hot to eat. The mahi mahi is tender underneath it’s thin golden exterior, red cabbage gives the taco a crisp texture, and the whole package is jubilant with it’s punchy lime-spiked crema and fragrant mango salsa dressings. Simple and perfect.

Pan Sauted Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce

April 15, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: Laura Messersmith — Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Fast and Fabulous”

The Set-up: Ina’s friend Frank is coming for dinner and she’s cooking up a feast in no time flat.

The Menu: Mustard Roasted Fish, Dill Fingerling Potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with Raspberry Sauce

0:24 – We start out with a little trip to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for dinner. I spy heavy cream, berries, and potatoes.

1:03 – Ina says she has two rules for fast dinners: 1. Really easy recipes and 2. Ingredients found in any typical grocery store.

2:41 – Naturally even though this dinner is coming together quickly Ina is still doing flowers.

3:13 – We’re back at the barn to work on dessert: Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with a homemade Raspberry Sauce.

4:29 – I’m always fascinated to see the ways cooks use pre-made ingredients to perk-up their recipes. In this case, an entire jar of seedless raspberry jam (Tiptree Farms in case you’re wondering) helps thicken the sauce.

5:46 – Now for the fromage blanc which Ina is thinning non-ironically with heavy cream to make it somewhere between the consistency of pudding and softened ice cream.

11:07 – Ina is plating the “layered dessert” – fromage blanc, berries, raspberry sauce – and it looks so fresh and delicious. Perfect for summer.

12:45 – Just realized that Ina is wearing a beautiful white shirt while cooking bright red berries – this woman is brave!

13:38 – Time to set the table and for a simple dinner Ina has quite a lot going on – a bowl of apples, candles, flowers. I’m lucky if I can remember to put the salt and pepper shakers out!

14:22 – We’re moving on to the Dill Fingerling Potatoes and Ina is cooking them by part steaming, part sautéing in a large dutch oven. I tried this once and it does work, but it takes some patience.

15:17 – Onward to the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and I can 100% vouch for cooking broccoli this way. It’s hands-down our favorite way to eat our veggies.

16:44 – The premise of this episode is that Ina is making a last minute dinner and usually I’m suspicious of so-called 30 minute meals, but so far I actually believe that this dinner could come together in an hour or so.

21:30 – Now for the main course: Mustard Roasted Fish, which involves cooking filets of red snapper under a sauce of crème fraiche and mustard.

22:19 – Ina says she got the recipe from the coat check attendant at her Parisian hairdresser. Naturally.

23:41 – The red snapper is in the oven with the broccoli and it’s time for a finishing sprinkle of fresh dill and salt on the potatoes. I love how golden and lightly crispy they look.

27:05 – Final touches on the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli – cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil, lemon zest. Sounds awesome.

28:26 – Dinner is plated up and ready to go just as Frank arrives right on time.

29:38 – He marvels at Ina’s ability to whip up dinner in under an hour, honey, she’s not the Barefoot Contessa for nothing!

Final Thoughts:
Ina touched on this briefly, but there’s a lot to be said for dishes that cook at the same temperature (ie. the fish and the broccoli.) Hello multi-tasking!

I love fresh herbs, but I’m a little concerned about the competing flavors (mustard, dill, basil, and parmesan?) I tend to stick to one flavor “palette” but maybe I’m not adventurous enough…

I’m with Ina on the need for great dinners that don’t take hours to make – the less prepping the better!

Lessons Learned:
I took some liberties with Ina’s Mustard Roasted Fish recipe to make my own version using greek yogurt instead of crème fraiche and cooking it on the stovetop in a pan, rather than in the oven. I discovered last year when I made Caesar Roasted Salmon (please forgive the less than awesome photos, I was still learning!) that roasted fish is pretty soft and with a creamy sauce there isn’t quite enough contrast in the texture to suit Mike and I. Pan sautéing the fish was my solve to that issue and since it only takes 5-6 minutes total it’s still a really quick meal.

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Creamy Mustard Sauce (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 (8-ounce) red snapper fillets, or other firm white fish
8 ounces Chobani 4% Plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons Gulden’s spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Maille Old-style whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon Coleman’s English mustard powder
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:
Combine the 4% Chobani yogurt, spicy brown mustard, whole grain mustard, English mustard powder, minced shallots, drained capers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Set aside while you cook the red snapper filets.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high-heat. Brush both sides of the red snapper filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the fish fillets skin side down in the hot skillet.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn with a flexible metal spatula when the cooked portion reaches about halfway up the filet and it’s easy to slide the spatula between the skin and the pan. The thickness of the filet will determine exactly how long, but the fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.

Serve immediately with the mustard sauce spooned over the top and a small sprinkle of capers.

Inspired by and adapted from Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Fish.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet (2 filets at a time), metal spatula, small cutting board, chef’s knife, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a tablespoon for mixing. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Pan sautéing is my favorite way to cook fish because it adds great flavor and texture and in this case the red snapper works perfectly. It’s mild so the mustard sauce really shines – a little bit spicy and creamy it’s a perfect foil. The sauce pretty much enhanced everything I’ve served it with and I’m already planning new ways to incorporate it with other recipes.