I am always looking for new flavor combinations to spice up my old favorites. Preserved lemons give a burst of salty brightness far more complex than just a squeeze of lemon and a bit of salt. They are worth the effort. The food writers have gone mad for Sriracha chili sauce, showing up everywhere – a combination of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. I have discovered flash frozen wild caught Cod with each filet vacuum sealed. They can be defrosted in cool water in minutes and so handy to keep in the freezer.
4 6 ounce skinless cod filets
1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup dry white wine
1 pound Haricot Verts – French green beans
Preserved Lemon Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce – Thai chili sauce
2 tablespoons finely diced preserved lemon rinds
Heat a large sauté then add the butter and olive oil
Season the cod with salt and pepper and the dill and sauté about 1 minute on each side for thin filets, 2 per side for thicker
Remove the filets to a warm platter and deglaze the pan with the white wine scraping up any brown bits and the dill, simmer about one minute then pour over the filets
Serve with Haricot Verts green beans and top with the preserved lemon sauce
To boil the Haricot Verts
Bring at least 2 courts of water to a rapid boil, add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, add beans and time 5 minutes from the moment you put them in the water. Remove and serve
Preserved Lemons
Makes one pint jar
2-3 lemons – blemish free
¼ cup kosher salt, more if needed
Extra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed
Place 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a clean one pint jar
Cut the lemons in quarters
Sprinkle them all over with salt
Put the lemon slices one at a time into the jar, squishing them down so they give up some of their juice
Add more lemon juice to cover the lemons if necessary
Top the jar with the rest of the salt and shake
Put in the refrigerator shaking the jar every day for the first few days, then occasionally. They will be ready to use in one month
To use: rinse the lemon wedge under running water to remove the excess salt, and discard the pulp (it retains too much salt)
They keep for months in the refrigerator