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Cod in Sweet and Sour Pepper Sauce

5.0(466)

Vinegary sauce in which fish is marinated after cooking is sometimes referred to as escabeche. This one is inspired by a recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook “Jerusalem.” It is at once a sauce and vegetable side dish. Instead of frying the fish like Ottolenghi does, I oven-steam it, then bury it in the sauce.

by Martha Rose Shulman·published 2013-12-02

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MediterraneanDinner, Main Course

Servings

Serves 4

Total time

40 min

Calories / serving

312 kcal

Ingredients (12)

serves

1 1/2 pounds Alaskan cod fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper to tastesalt-and-pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilextra-virgin-olive-oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced across the grainonion
1 tablespoon coriander seedscoriander
2 large red bell peppers, or 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper, slicedbell-pepper
2 garlic cloves, mincedgarlic
2 teaspoons curry powder (optional)curry
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoestomato
2 tablespoons mild honey, such as cloverhoney
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar or cider vinegarvinegar
2 bay leavesbay-leaf

Instructions (3 steps)

01Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and oil the foil. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and lay on the foil. Leave at room temperature while you make the sauce.
02Heat the oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium heat and add the onion and coriander seeds. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes, and add the bell peppers and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the peppers and onions are soft, another 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and curry powder, if using, and stir together for a minute, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly, about 8 minutes. Stir in the honey and vinegar, salt to taste and black pepper, and simmer 5 minutes.

03Meanwhile, place a pan of just boiled water on the floor of your oven and place the baking sheet with the fish in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish is opaque on the surface but still slightly firm in the middle. Remove from the oven and place in the sauce. Spoon sauce over the top so that the fish is surrounded by it. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and can be pulled apart with a fork. Remove from the heat and serve, or even better, chill overnight, then gently reheat the next day.