Spanish Poached Cod

damienducks's Note:

I make this on cold days when I'm craving something Mediterranean and/or Spanish inspired! Super simple to make, and a great way to pack some veggies into dinner! The recipe calls for a lot of paprika, but I think my paprika is quite old, so if yours is fresher or more pungent, just use as much as you'd like to get good robust flavor! I love this with cod, but I've done it with other fish, and with chicken, too. You can also poach eggs this way (though I'd reduce the recipe by half and use a smaller skillet)--in any case, it's very versatile.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced vertically
• 2 tablespoons smoked spanish paprika
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (or 1/2 cup salsa or tinned tomatoes)
• 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets (romanesco is my favorite in this dish, and so pretty)
• 1 cup dry wine (red or white, doesn't matter)
• salt
• 1 lb cod fish fillet, cut into 4 pieces

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large (10-12") skillet (with lid, you'll need that later) over medium heat. When hot, add peppers and onions and saute, stirring frequently, till softened, about 7 minutes.
2. Sprinkle onions and peppers with paprika and saute another minute, then add tomatoes and cauliflower florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, till tomatoes mush up. Add wine and stir till well combined. Taste and season with salt to taste.
3. Bring mixture to a healthy simmer, then nestle cod fillets into sauce (push cauliflower out of the way as needed, sauce should come about halfway up sides of the fillets). Cover and cook till fish flakes easily with a fork (15-20 minutes is a good estimate, but really it depends on how thick your fillets are).
4. When fish is cooked, remove fillets from pan carefully (so they don't break) and set aside--keep warm.
5. Turn heat up to medium high and reduce sauce and vegetables to a thick salsa-ish consistency.
6. Plate fish and spoon sauce over the top. Excellent served with brown saffron rice.

Reviews

[Cluich]

That was pretty good, but I kept asking myself, "Why cauliflower?" The simple seasoning is surprisingly tasty, though. I think I'd use this recipe again, but I'd omit the cauliflower and add some sliced black olives.