Cod Almondine

When I mentioned that I would be stopping by our favorite fishmonger on the way home, Pam quickly found a NYT recipe for Fish with Toasted Almonds. Nigella Lawson recommends cod or "any other meaty white fish" but since I was headed to Kyler's, I knew I could find an excellent cut of the real deal.

Dining outside, with our fish-themed placemats!

The fillet I purchased was skinless, so the skin-up/skin-down question -- debated in the recipe comments section -- was moot. My only other departure from the recipe was to use our well-seasoned, indispensable cast-iron skillet instead of a non-stick pan. My only hesitation in using this pan for fish is that it can retain fishiness, but it is seasoned well enough that a quick scrubbing with salt (never detergent or soap) will leave it ready for the next dish. I did wait until the oil and butter were bubbling nicely before adding the fillet, so it cooked pretty quickly.

I prepared simple sides of petite peas and penne with a bit of cheese and parsley. The preparation of the fish was so fast that I should have gotten the pasta water boiling before I even toasted the almonds. The result was a delicious meal -- a bit expensive because top-quality cod is not cheap -- but very good on the nutritious-delicious-easy-cheap trade-off matrix. And in reality, it was not much more expensive than fast food.

I cannot buy cod at Kyler's without commenting on the boats tied up outside.
Federal marshals are leasing part of Kyler's pier to impound two ships belonging
to the notorious Carlos Rafael, the "Codfather" who cheated the entire industry
and the ocean itself over many years. While he sits in prison, the honest fishery
folks in New Bedford and beyond continue to recover from his frauds.