Pan Seared Cod With Creamy Fennel Ragoût Food

COD WITH FENNEL, DILL AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Rinse fish and squeeze lemon juice over it. Season the fish with a little salt and reserve.
• Heat a large oven proof pan over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, fennel and onion and season with salt. Saute fennel and onions 7 to 8 minutes then add white wine and reduce a minute, then add broth. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Set fish into pan and spoon juices over the cod. Add a few sprigs dill to the broth and set the pan into the hot oven to cook. Cook 12 minutes, until fish is opaque. To serve, arrange cod on plate, top with vegetables and chopped fresh dill.

COD WITH FENNEL AND ONION

Steps:

• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut tops off the fennel bulb. Reserve a few tablespoons of fronds (lacy dill-like greens) and chop. Quarter the bulb, then cut into each quarter on an angle to remove the core. Thinly slice the fennel.
• Add extra-virgin olive oil, fennel and onion to the pan and saute them, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add wine and reduce by half. Add potatoes to the pan in thin layers, completely covering the fennel and onions, working all the way to the edges of the pan. Pour the stock evenly over the pan. Season fish with salt and pepper. Arrange the fish on the potatoes. Bring the liquids to a bubble. Cover the pan and transfer to oven. Bake fish 15 minutes, until opaque, then uncover and bake for 2 or 3 minutes more. Transfer fish and vegetables to shallow bowls or dinner plates and garnish with parsley and fronds. Spoon juices down over the food. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

PAN-SEARED COD WITH CREAMY FENNEL RAGOûT

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil to fat in skillet, then cook fennel with salt and pepper over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add broth, cream, tomatoes, and garlic to fennel and cook, partially covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until fennel is tender and cream is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• While fennel cooks, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Season fillets with salt and pepper, then sauté 4 minutes. Turn over and sauté until just cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
• Stir mustard and bacon into fennel ragout and season with salt and pepper. Serve cod over fennel ragout.