That troubling question, “what’s for dinner?” troubles no more! Of late I’m feeling quite confident about answering this question, having built up a decent repertoire of main dishes for the family.
Here’s a list of entrées that are getting us through the dinner hour with ease:
- Chicken Parm
- Chicken Piccata
- Rosemary Apple Chicken
- Peach Chicken
- Cod Piccata
- Fish Sticks
- Salmon with Olive Anchovy Tapenade
- Salmon with Tomato Basil Relish
- Pasta with Parsley Pesto and Sundried Tomatoes
- Sesame Noodles
I can see that the seafood department needs a bit of work, we are definitely chicken heavy. However, this chicken “heaviness” probably reflects the fact that my favorite taste tester (husband) loves chicken and eats seafood mostly under duress. He is basically a meat and potatoes kind of guy and has been amazing about compromising and eating more kid friendly foods and things that work well for me.
I make adjustments as well. When we have chicken parm, I bake mine in a separate dish, omitting the cheese. While this might not seem monumental, it is for me, a former cheese-a-holic. I’ve now been completely dairy-free for almost a year.
Even the boys compromise, eating their share of “adult” foods. How does that work? I usually argue and negotiate with them for a bit, until ultimately they try what is in front of them. They are great sports and actually have learned to like the foods I serve.
Of course, there are nights when I simply make them a big bowl of mac-n-cheese with a side of broccoli while we eat salmon. However, if I can get my younger guy in my lap, he will usually try anything on my plate (food always tastes better when it’s on mom’s plate), then he’ll scoot back into his chair and ask for a helping of his own. That’s what happened recently when I made the dish below.
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Adding one more option to the dinner menu, I recently converted my chicken piccata recipe into cod piccata. The capers and parsley complement this mild fish quite nicely and I often find myself slurping up the sauce and last slivers of fish with a soup spoon.
Cod Piccata
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds cod
- ½ cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon all purpose chef's shake
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons grapeseed oil or butter
- 1 cup chicken stock or Kettle & Fire Bone Broth
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup brined capers
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cut the cod into 6 pieces
- Mix together flour, salt and chef’s shake
- Rinse the cod pieces in water, then dredge thoroughly in flour mixture, until well coated
- Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a 9 inch skillet on medium high heat; add half of the cod pieces and brown well, about 3 minutes per side
- Transfer from skillet to a plate, and repeat with remaining cod
- Place plate of cod in warm oven while preparing the sauce
- Add chicken stock, lemon juice, and capers to skillet and use a metal spatula to loosen the browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce
- Reduce the sauce by half then Whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil
- Plate the cod, pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with parsley
- Serve
My original piccata recipe is based on one from simplyrecipes.com, a favorite site of mine. So to give credit where it is due, I must thank Elise! I love her recipes and ideas.
Tastespotting.com also keeps me creative during the dinner hour. I check out the beautiful photos on this blog daily. It is constantly updated, featuring the best recipes and pics from food blogs around the globe.
All in all, I am so thankful for the creativity of other bloggers and the abundance of organic, delicious food in my home!
John says
Good recipe! I made a few adjustments that we (my wife and our 7 yr old) thought worked very well.
– substituted coconut oil for all oils. I think is a better oil from taste to health.
– green olives for capers (removed the pimentos)
– fresh squeezed lime juice (1) for lemon
– cilantro for parsley
Otherwise, made as directed. Very good.
dygold85 says
Hi Elana – I plan to make this tonight and I’m a pretty amateur cook! At what degree temp should the oven be to put the fish in to warm? And what do you mean by “reduce the sauce by half” Thanks!!
Meg says
This was so good! My whole family ate it right up! The sauce just got better and better the more I cooked it down. Thanks for another wonderful inspiration.
NoMoreAsthma says
LOVE your recipes (and am a bit jealous of where you live :) love Colorado!). Thanks for adding more fish recipes. Would love to see some for talipia. Wonder how the Cod Piccata would taste using Talipa? Might have to try it. Any other ideas?
Jane B says
Made this tonight and it was excellent! Made a few changes though. I used regular flour, made my own chefs blend (powdered garlic, dried basil, pepper, seasoned salt, paprika), added chopped tomatoes, and finished with butter instead if the grapeseed oil. I thought it was too lemony pungent beforehand. The butter mellowed the sauce perfectly and everyone in the famiy raved!
Thanks for the recipe!
joyce says
21 Seasoning Salute is a good substitute for Chef’s Shake, imho. I love it with fish! And this recipe would be a good one for it. Trader Joe’s sells it under their brand name.
Tara says
Thanks! I had no idea what “Chef’s Shake” was.
Meg T says
This looks delicious and my kids love fish so hoping to make for dinner this week. Just wondering what you serve it with?? I’ve just recently gone gluten-free so am could use some inspiration on the sides. Thanks in advance!
Grace says
This is so tasty, easy and quick to make. Thanks for the recipes.
Amber says
Elana,
How do you get the breading to look like that?! thanks!
Kythka says
This is the best cod I’ve ever made; my family agrees. Thanks for the recipe.