By John Willoughby
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(183)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Unlike many cooks, John Willoughby loves what he describes as the fresh, cool and slightly bitter taste of green peppers. This dish uses the liquor from the roasted peppers in addition to pepper purée.
Featured in: The Virtues of Green Bell Peppers
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2green bell peppers
- 1poblano pepper
- Half a medium onion, sliced into wedges
- salt
- 1½cups extra virgin olive oil
- 44-ounce cod fillets of equal thickness
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1152 calories; 81 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 59 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 106 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 94 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 645 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add the bell peppers and poblano pepper whole, and the onion wedges. Salt well and roast, turning every 10 minutes, until peppers collapse and are dark brown or black on at least half of their surfaces, 30 to 35 minutes.
Step
2
Set onions aside. Put peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 20 minutes. Reserve liquor that accumulates in bowl and slice peppers open over the bowl to catch any more. Remove skins, stems and seeds from peppers. (Avoid doing this under running water, because it removes some of the smoky flavor.)
Step
3
In a food processor or blender, purée peppers and onions to yield 1 cup, season to taste and set aside.
Step
4
Salt the cod generously and allow to stand for at least 5 or up to 20 minutes. In an enameled or nonstick pan, heat oil over medium heat until just warm. Reduce heat to medium low, slide cod into olive oil, cover the pan tightly and cook until cod just begins to flake, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Step
5
Brush or dab a line of pepper purée on each of 4 plates, place a piece of cod over each line, drizzle first with olive oil from the cooking pan, then with pepper liquor.
Ratings
4
out of 5
183
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Cooking Notes
TB
Poaching in oil is very much like Spanish escabeche/escovitch, the fish comes out so tender and flaky and the sauce is definitely worth the effort, very interesting, reminds me of a Mexican salsa (if you have any leftover, try with tortilla chips, chipotle on the side). We had rice as a side dish, perfect to soak up the sauce and olive oil. The addition of capers and/or olives would be a beautiful variation. Loved!
Mary
I was skeptical about all of the green peppers, but this was wonderful and worth the pepper roasting hassle. Not the usual cod fare.
JT
I thought the idea of poaching the cod was great, unfortunately the sauce needed a lot of help especially the color....Will try again, the cod needed more seasoning and the sauce garlic could help.
Winnie
The green pepper sauce was in incredible accompaniment to delicate white fish! Sauce was a brighter green than the photo but quite simple and enjoyable. A nice contrast from the usual lemon. Instead of poaching, we baked pacific cod aka sablefish, which is richer than true cod, in olive oil. Served with a layered gratin of potato, tomato, and zucchini with a roasted red pepper sauce!
James A
Followed the recipe, except made this with red bell peppers instead of green. Added preserved lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice. I know. That's not the recipe. But it sure was delicious with the fish!
Jeff
I cooked fish for 4 min. Maybe this wasnt enough...longer nxt time.
Laura
Instead of the roasted peppers I decided to put some large green olives stuffed with jalapeños in the food processed with a few grape tomatoes and some smoked paprika. The whole meal was done in ten minutes and was fabulous. I also threw some grape tomatoes in the oil just before the cod. I used the mixed red, orange and yellow tomatoes and the plate looked beautiful.
Winnie
The green pepper sauce was in incredible accompaniment to delicate white fish! Sauce was a brighter green than the photo but quite simple and enjoyable. A nice contrast from the usual lemon. Instead of poaching, we baked pacific cod aka sablefish, which is richer than true cod, in olive oil. Served with a layered gratin of potato, tomato, and zucchini with a roasted red pepper sauce!
Dash
What is “just warm?” Would appreciate a more specific temp for the poaching oil.
Robert
I used about one half poblano and one half green bell pepper by weight, which was excellent. Also roasted the peppers on the grill, which I think gives them a better char. (Alternative would be directly over a gas flame.). Served with roasted asparagus- pepper mix over both. Definitely worth repeating.
Lana
Awesome bell pepper purée! I doubled the amount of peppers and onions. I baked cod instead, because I can’t take that much oil. Will def use it again!
JT
I thought the idea of poaching the cod was great, unfortunately the sauce needed a lot of help especially the color....Will try again, the cod needed more seasoning and the sauce garlic could help.
HK
I've never poached fish in oil before and I thought it was a great method, easy and fast, especially with a thick piece of cod. The sauce, though, was too much trouble for very little reward. It was okay but it wasn't great and it looked awful.
Make the fish, but use a different puree or sauce.
Terry
I prepared this dish, following the instructions exactly. The taste was okay, but the sauce color was so unattractive, it was difficult to ignore. Will not make again.
TB
Poaching in oil is very much like Spanish escabeche/escovitch, the fish comes out so tender and flaky and the sauce is definitely worth the effort, very interesting, reminds me of a Mexican salsa (if you have any leftover, try with tortilla chips, chipotle on the side). We had rice as a side dish, perfect to soak up the sauce and olive oil. The addition of capers and/or olives would be a beautiful variation. Loved!
Mary
I was skeptical about all of the green peppers, but this was wonderful and worth the pepper roasting hassle. Not the usual cod fare.
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