Chef Tee’s Cod with Spring Vegetables
Serves 4
Prep time: 10-to-15 minutes; cooking time: 5-to-10 minutes
Ingredients

  • 4 (5 oz. each) cod fillets
  • 2 cups fiddlehead ferns
  • 1 bunch of asparagus, stems trimmed, cut into thirds
  • 4 or 5 ramps, roughly chopped
  • 4 strips bacon, chopped
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled, diced
  • 1 cup onion, sliced
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsps. canola oil
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Blanch* fiddlehead ferns; drain; set aside.
  2. Blanch* potato in same water fiddleheads were blanched in; drain; set potato aside.
  3. In medium skillet, add bacon; cook over medium-high heat to release fat drippings; cook until bacon is crisp; remove bacon from skillet.
  4. Add onions to hot skillet w/bacon fat drippings; cook a few minutes; add asparagus, blanched fiddleheads, potato, lemon zest, ramps; cook until vegetables are tender; season w/Salt & Pepper; set aside.
  5. In medium skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat.
  6. Pat cod dry w/paper towel; season fillets w/Salt & Pepper.
  7. Add fish to hot pan; cook until starts to flake (about 2-to-3 minutes); add stock, cream; bring to a boil; cook until fish flakes apart; add cooked vegetables.
  8. Plate cod, vegetables; top w/1-to-2 Tbsps. bacon.
  9. Serve.

*Blanch — to boil food in a pot of salted water for a few minutes, then plunge it into a bowl of ice water to preserve its color and crisp texture.