Feast of Two Fishes

Prosciutto Roasted Cod

Moules Marinières

I love seafood and decided to double down last night by trying two new recipes.

Prosciutto Roasted Cod was a simple preparation which would be good with any white fish... sea bass and halibut come to mind. I opted for cod knowing it's a fish that the rest of the family will eat. They don't like sea bass or halibut. Their loss.

After lightly oiling the fish and the baking sheet, I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper and wrapped a thin slice of prosciutto around the middle of each fillet and roasted it all in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. To amp up the flavor, I brushed the cooked fillets with rosemary butter. Any herb or even garlic butter would do. This is very good served with roasted vegetables or even a tomato-based side dish. It's on the mild side, so definitely go nuts with your side dishes!

I decided to try my hand at Moules Marinières after reading the recipe in Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl's very funny account of her days as restaurant critic for the New York Times. It sounded easy and it was (the recipe, NOT the job of restaurant critic). To top it off, a pound of mussels is $1.79... you can't beat that!

Moules Marinières
Serves 4 (can be cut in half if necessary)

4 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean and debearded
1 onion, diced
2 shallots, diced
1 cup dry white wine
3 T. unsalted butter
salt and pepper
chopped parsley

Combine the onion, shallots and wine in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pot from time to time, for about 4 minutes, or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels.
Add the butter, salt, pepper and chopped parsley to the pot. Serve mussels and broth in bowls, with bread to mop up the sauce.

Recipe from Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.