Roasted Cod

When I was at Central Market yesterday I picked up a pound of fresh cod, the special fish on sale for the week.  I enjoy roasted fish, a simple way to prepare fresh fish.  I turn my convection oven on "convect roast", 375 degrees, and spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.  I dry the fish, sprinkle a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper on it.  At this point you can add a seasoning mix, spice blend, fresh herbs or a sauce, then put it in the oven for 15 minutes, a little longer for thicker fish.  This is a good recipe for salmon, halibut, snapper, cod, or just about any fish.  Tonight I sauteed some sliced garlic, capers, and kalamata olives in extra virgin olive oil and drizzled it on top of the fish before I roasted it.  I served it with a little freshly prepared brown rice and salad with balsamic vinaigrette, a little feta cheese, dried cranberries, and pecans.  I ended up putting my salad on the plate with the fish and rice because the flavors went together so well.

Roasted Cod

1 pound fresh cod fillets
Olive oil spray
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T Kalamata olive, cut in half
1 T capers
1 large garlic clove, sliced
herb blend (Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute) or any herb blend you like

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a sheet pan with olive oil spray.  Dry fish and place on sheet pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and herb seasoning.  Heat 2 T olive oil in skillet on medium high heat.
Add sliced garlic, capers, and olives.  Cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat.  Drizzle over the fish.
Roast fish for 15 minutes or until cooked through.  Don't overcook.  You may have to remove thinner pieces sooner and let the thicker pieces cook longer.

Salad

Mixed Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette, dried fruit, and cheese
A good salad has crispy greens, somethings sweet, something savory, something crunchy, and some acid. (I learned that in culinary school and it's so true.)

Ingredients

Lettuce: I always have organic red leaf lettuce, my personal favorite. Wash the lettuce and spin it dry.
If you don't have a salad spinner, it's a great gadget to have. You dry the lettuce in it and it you store your torn and dried lettuce in the container with the lid it will keep crispy and fresh for days. This is where I keep my week's worth of lettuce for lunches and dinners.
Cheese: I use feta or goat cheese, sometimes Parmesan. Feta and goat have less fat than regular cheese and a sharper taste that stands up to the dressing. When I have time I mix some fresh herbs into the goat cheese and make a log. This is also great in omelets or just on crackers. A few crumbles of cheese is all you need.
Nuts: I make spiced pecans a lot since I have a freezer full of fresh pecans from San Saba, Texas. Just take a handful of pecans and place in a baking pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle some sugar, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees.

Just a few pecan halves is all you need. You could also use plain toasted walnuts or almonds.
Sweets: I usually have a bag of dried cranberries or raisins. I

Dressing:

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced and mashed into a paste
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T honey
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T Modena balsamic vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 extra virgin olive oil

Mix the garlic, mustard, honey, vinegars, lemon juice and salt together in a bowl or food processor. If doing this my hand, add a few drops of oil and whisk briskly to combine the oil and vinegar. Keep adding a small amount of oil until the dressing appears emulisfied, otherwise it will separate quickly. You can also just do this in the food processor or shake it in a jar.

It will keep for 3 or 4 days.