Citrus Soy Butterfish with Whole Wheat Couscous "Risotto" and Bok Choy

There are two types of seafood that I have a true obsession with: scallops and black cod (aka butterfish). If I see one of those two items on a menu, in most cases, I'm ordering it (well, perhaps not - you will never see me order scallops from a standard Asian restaurant - typically scallops are a "pay for what you get" in quality item). In fact, my absolute most memorable dish in San Francisco so far is the "Broiled Sake Marinated Alaskan Black Cod and Shrimp Dumplings in Shiso Broth" from Ame. Heaven. We went on Saturday night to get it after months of dreaming about that dish following my first encounter with it. Luckily, it did not disappoint the second time around!

Then on Sunday, just a few hours after indulging in my beloved AME dish - at the Farmer's market Derek and I were deciding what fish to pick up. Naturally, I opted for the "butterfish" aka - black cod - of course I was not sick of it! So on Monday night we set out to come up with something that would do the fish justice.

Initially, I did not want to go the Asian route simply because I knew it would not live up to the Asian-style cod that I had just devoured two nights earlier. However, I realized this would probably be the simplest route so I just went for it.

The base recipe that I selected was from Martha Stewart - I know. For some reason I never use her recipes - probably because I don't consider her primary skill to be cooking - but this one seemed simple enough to whip together so I gave it a shot.

Citrus-Soy Butterfish

original recipe found HERE

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray or EVOO
3 (4-6-ounce) center-cut black cod fillets
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Thinly sliced scallions for garnish
Coarse salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Season fish with salt and pepper and place in prepared dish.

Meanwhile, add brown sugar, honey, orange and lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and pinch of salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer until thick and syrupy, 2-4 minutes. Spoon about glaze evenly over each cod filet; reserve any remaining glaze.

Transfer baking dish to oven and bake until opaque and just cooked through, about 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. Garnish scallions; serve with reserved glaze.

Clearly that "glaze" looks a little weak. It didn't seem to glaze up much - so the burst of flavor wasn't quite there. I spread a little bit of hoisin sauce on the finished product and that was just fine. I'd recommend making a bit more glaze and possibly broiling it if possible.

But the fish itself was so delicate and melt-in-you-mouth with sections just falling of the fillet like butter.

We served this on top of an israeli couscous risotto that was made by sauteing up some spring garlic until soft and then adding the dry couscous, stirring to coat in oil. Then, Derek slowly added the broth that I had made (water, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic, lemon, peppercorn, onion, green onion) so that the pasta takes in the liquid in spurts. Keep stirring and adding liquid until the couscous is cooked through. Finish off the "risotto" with some coconut milk, salt, and pepper.

I also made some bok choy and cooked it in the same pan that I had cooked the glaze in. Given the nature of the glaze, there was still some stuck to the pan so I cut the bok choy pieces in half and placed them face down in the glaze for a few minutes, adding a little water so that the glaze didn't burn. I then seasoned the bok choy with salt and pepper. Done.

While this meal was no comparison to my Ame dish - it provided a solid base of components that could be tweaked and perfected to make a great meal.