Cod With Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce & Herbed Cannellini Beans
A perfectly cozy dinner option for a chilly winter's night.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes I used Pomi Finely Chopped
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes minced, plus reserve 1 teaspoon of oil for cannellini beans
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed Calabrian chili peppers in oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Colatura di Alici di Cetara Italian anchovy extract
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
For the fish:
- 3/4 pounds fresh cod filet cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper
For the cannellini beans:
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 teaspoon reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed, reserving the liquid in a small bowl
- 1 tablespoon reserved bean liquid and more if needed
- 1 sprig of rosemary or 1 sprig of thyme (1 sprig is all you need since both herbs can be pretty intense)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- zest of 1/3 a Meyer lemon
To plate:
- 10 large leaves of arugula or other peppery or bitter greens (these aren't just for garnish, they are an integral part of the dish)
- 1 tablespoon parsley roughly chopped
- zest of 1/3 Meyer lemon and short squeeze of Meyer lemon juice over the fish
- additional rosemary sprigs or thyme for garnish
- drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Move an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 375 F.
For the sauce:
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, non stick frying pan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are softened, but not browned.
- Add the garlic and stir around for a minute before adding the crushed tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes mixing occasionally. Add the wine, Calabrian chilis, anchovy extract, and kosher salt and pepper. Blend everything together and cook until the wine reduces and you have a luscious, slightly thickened sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the sauce to a large oiled glass baking dish.
For the fish:
- Gently lay the fish pieces over the sauce, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper, and Aleppo or crushed red pepper, and cook for about 14 to 16 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.
For the cannellini beans:
- While the fish is cooking, wipe out the frying pan with a paper towel and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the reserved sun-dried tomato oil, the cannellini beans, the reserved bean liquid, adding more if you think it needs it, and the sprig of rosemary or thyme. Stir around and let that cook for a few minutes, then add a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Taste to test the seasoning. Remove the sprig of rosemary or thyme, sprinkle with Meyer lemon zest, and reduce the heat to low to keep it warm.
For plating:
- Scatter the beans along the inner rim of a serving plate. Spoon the sauce in the center and top with the fish. Surround the dish with arugula, parsley, and rosemary or thyme, and drizzle with a bit more extra virgin olive oil. Zest some of the lemon over everything, give a short squeeze of lemon over the fish, and top it all with a good shake of crushed red pepper.It is recommended you take bites with the arugula, as the peppery crunch really enhances the flavor of the beans and the fish. I hope you like it!