Pan-seared Cod with Puy Lentils
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 90 min.
Filetes de bacalhau fresco com lentilhas verdes, a delicious dish from the island of Madeira. Bacalhau means codfish in Portuguese, but the word is used exclusively for salt cod, Portugal's national dish. So the word "fresco" is added to point out that one is using fresh cod. Puy lentils, smaller and tastier than common lentils, are called lentilhas verdes (green lentils). They are cultivated on Madeira's terraced slopes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Ingredients:
Cod:
- 4 cod fish fillets, about 100gr (4 oz) each
Lentil-Potato Mix:
- 500gr (about 1 lbs) of red potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 cm cubes
- 125 ml (1/2) extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 250 gr (1 cup) Puy lentils
- 1 carrot cut into quarters
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 stalk of celery
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and dried
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 1 medium size tomato, seeded and cut into 1 cm dices
Vinaigrette:
- 125 ml (1/2) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- lemon juice to taste
- 1 teasp Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
Season cod fillets with salt and pepper and keep in the refrigerator until the lentil-potato mix is ready.
Place lentils in a saucepan with the carrot, onion and celery and water to cover. Simmer lentils for about 20-30 minutes or until soft. Drain and discard the vegetables. Set aside to cool in a bowl at room temperature.
In the mean time boil the diced potatoes until just tender. Drain well. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a saucepan and sauté the potatoes until they are golden on all sides. Remove from the pan. Add the shallot and capers to the pan and sauté them for 2-3 minutes or until shallots are just limp. Set aside and let them cool down a bit.
While both the potatoes and lentils are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette: Mix 1/2 cup of olive oil with the 1 tbsp of the sherry vinegar and 1 tbsp of the white wine vinegar. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and Dijon mustard. Whisk it well.
Add the potato-shallot-caper mix to the lentils and season with the vinaigrette. Adjust taste. Lentils absorb a lot of liquid, it might be necessary to add a bit more olive oil and/or vinegar.
Finally prepare the cod: Wipe out the pan used for sautéing the potatoes and add the remaining olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Sear the cod fillets for about 5 minutes on each side until they are slightly golden-brown. Searing time depends on the thickness of the fish. Add more oil if necessary until all fillets are done. Keep them warm on a 60°C (100°F) oven.
Just before serving add the sliced scallions and the diced tomatoes to the lentil-potato mix, it should be at room temperature. Adjust taste again. Divide the mixture equally among the 4 plates. Top it with the cod fillet. Drizzle with any leftover vinaigrette.