Quick-Cured Grilled Cod and Tomatoes with Creamy Green Bean and Pea Salad
A simple cure gives cod a hearty texture that also boosts the delicate yet robust flavor of Norwegian cod. This recipe was developed by cookbook author and award-winning food writer, Nevada Berg. Follow her work on Instagram @NorthWildKitchen and at www.northwildkitchen.com for more.
Cooking timeOver 60 min
Difficulty levelMedium
Rating5/5
Ingredients
Preparation
- Begin by soaking wooded skewers in water and letting the butter soften at room temperature.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt and granulated sugar. Place the cod fillets in a baking dish, and sprinkle half of the salt mixture on top, rubbing it into the fillets. Turn the fillets over and add the remaining salt mixture, spreading it until the fillets are covered. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Rinse the fillets under cold running water to remove all of the salt mixture then pat dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of the fillets with oil.
- While the cod is curing, prepare the creamy green bean and pea salad by blanching the green beans and frozen peas. Wash and trim the green beans then cut into ½-inch (1 ¼ cm) pieces. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the green beans, and boil for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the green beans to the ice water and let rest for about 1 minute. Transfer the green beans to a clean tea towel to dry.
- Repeat the blanching process with the peas. Using the same saucepan, cook the peas for 2 minutes. Transfer them to the ice water to cool for 1 minute. Drain the peas and place on a clean tea towel to dry.
- In a large bowl, add the green beans, peas, sour cream, wholegrain mustard, and chopped parsley, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- For the herb butter, in a small bowl, combine the butter, herbs, lemon zest and juice. Set aside.
- Prepare the tomatoes by washing and drying them. Put 5 tomatoes onto each skewer then brush the tomatoes with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- To prevent the cod from sticking to the grates, brush vegetable oil over the grates. Place the cod fillets over indirect heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily when pierced with a fork.
- While the cod is cooking, add the tomato skewers to the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning often, until somewhat charred with the skin bursting but still keeping shape.
- Melt the herb butter in a skillet over the grill.
- To serve, divide the green bean and pea salad among the plates and place the grilled cod on top. Remove the tomatoes from the skewers and serve alongside the cod. Drizzle a good amount of the melted herb butter over the fillets. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.