FOOD: Fancy fish that’s simple to serve

I was late today to submit my article for the paper, surprise surprise! Luckily, for inspiration, I met Seán McGing our postman from Lanmore, now retired, in SuperValu carpark. He gave me a bag bursting with cabbages, broccoli and cauliflowers that he has grown. I then picked up a lucky loaf of delicious, award-winning, sourdough bread from our local Cornrua bakery.
At home, Sean’s cabbage, complete with real life insects that were washed off, was chopped and fried up with some garlic, ground cumin and oregano. The only blip was a mistimed shake of the cumin jar that delivered more than required. (Remember that one only learns from one’s mistakes!)
A couple of fried eggs that made me lament our recent loss of four hens to the fox or pine martin completed a delicious lunch, all rustled up from local ingredients.
It got me thinking again about the benefits of local produce: food that comes with less carbon miles; food that’s fresher with a higher nutritional value; food that supports local skills and the local economy.
Since I landed in Westport 22 years ago, we have already lost two vegetable shops in the town – McLoughlins on Bridge Street, and Country Fresh on Shop Street. Where will it all end? Buying coloured ‘meal’ pills for each day of the week from automated 24-hour robots?! We probably won’t get just there, but please do try to support local produce in whatever shape or form you can. In the long term, its good for our communities.
How long we can continue to eat fish without feeling bad about sustainable or dwindling stocks is unclear, but for the now the excellent fish counter at SuperValu keeps us supplied with delicious, nutritious fresh fish.
Here is a lovely summer recipe for cooking a meal with cod. It might sound fancy, and it certainly looks fancy on the plate with alternating colours of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, but it is easy to prepare for serving warm. A delicious lunch or evening meal.

Cod with cherry tomatoes, hazelnuts and browned butter

A warm sauce for savoury foods, browned butter – or ‘beurre noisette’ – comes from French cuisine. Essentially, you cook butter just past its melting point until it smells toasted. By cooking it that far, but not burning it, you toast the milk solids in the butter, creating a ‘nutty’ flavour and adding an extra layer of flavour.

What you need
4 cod fillets
400g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, mixed
100g butter, softened or in cubes
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
1 tbsp dried sage
Olive oil for frying
Seasoning

What you do
Prepare the your cod fillets by washing and drying if required. Season well both sides, and rub them evenly top and bottom with the dried sage too.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add 30g of butter, when it is bubbling add the chopped hazelnuts and stir-toast them for about two minutes. Remove from the heat and place the hazelnuts on a paper towel on a warmed plate. Add the rest of butter to the pan and when it is melted place the cod fillets skin down to cook well for two-and-a-half minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes whole and a small glug of oil.
Instead of flipping the fish, which can break it up, when the tomatoes are sizzling, add a splash of water from a cup and cover the pan with a proper lid for three minutes. The steam will perfectly cook the top side of the fish without you needing to turn it.
When cooked, place the fish skin-side down on plates and sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over the top. Place the red and yellow tomatoes all around the fish, and drizzle the browned butter over the lot. Serve with potatoes and a green of your choice.
Eat and enjoy. Good company essential, wine optional!

— Redmond

Redmond and Sandra Cabot live in Lanmore, outside Westport, with their children, Penny and Louis. Fresh, seasonal foods are their passion – shopping at country markets, growing their own veg and producing their own dips and sauces and for sale.