For those who observe Lent in St. Louis (or who just love a good piece of fried cod), Friday means parish fish fries – crowds of people, plastic cups of beer, deliciously greasy fish and sides for miles. But at some point during Lent, you reach a point where your Friday night calls for something more upscale.
This dish comes together in less than 10 minutes and can work with just about any dense white fish like cod, halibut, grouper or bass. Normally you would salt the fish before cooking, but the Kalamata olives add enough salt to skip this step. Meyer lemons offer a more complex, almost honey-like sweetness to the dish, but you can approximate that same flavor with standard lemon and orange juices. Skip the long lines and warm beer and eat off the good china tomorrow.
Cod with Rosemary-Olive Vinaigrette
4 servings
4 4-oz. cod fillets or other firm white fish
Freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. chopped rosemary, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
• Season both sides of the fish with pepper.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook about 3 minutes, until just golden brown. Carefully turn the fish and scatter the olives, rosemary and garlic evenly in the pan. Cook until the fish is opaque, about 3 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet.
• Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, swirling the pan to combine. Place 1 fillet on each plate and evenly divide the sauce over the fish. Garnish with rosemary and serve.
This article appears in March 2016.