Poached Cod with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Olives Recipe

The light, tender, flakey fish is so versatile to work with especially when it’s poached in a delicious broth bursting with flavour.

One of my favourite things about cooking is that you can take a very bland and basic item and turn it into something extraordinary.

I’m starting to like layering flavours to create a more depth of flavour in a dish!

I don’t typically like ordering seafood at restaurants because I feel like they don’t give you nearly enough of a portion.

It makes sense because they need to make margins and profit but it’s always so dissatisfying to me so I tend to try to stick to other proteins.

Now, when it comes to making seafood at home, I am very generous with portions! Haha

Lately I’m really into cod, too, because it’s lean protein. There is hardly any fat on it and you get great source of protein and other nutrients along with it.

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1/4 cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Giant pinch saffron threads

Juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 1/2 pounds cod (season both sides with salt)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the sliced fennel and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and olives and cook until the tomatoes start to burst and soften, about 5-7 minutes.

Sprinkle smoked paprika, cumin, and saffron into skillet then add the lemon juice and vegetable stock.

Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover skillet and let simmer for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, nestle the cod into the liquid and remove cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, or until cod has cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove from heat, let sit for 10 minutes then serve and enjoy!