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Cod Provençal

by Dawn T in Rouxbe Recipes

Cod is served with a Provençal bean ragout made from niçoise olives, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes and lima beans.

Comments: 32 Views: 54034 Success: 93%

Tessa V

I love this recipe.

I make it almost every week now but because I have a gluten free diet I make polenta with it instead and pan-fry my fish in corn meal. Very yummy.

Lisa N

FOR THE HALI-BUT

I made this lil gem on the weekend but i used halibut instead!

The panko kicks ass -what a quick and delish way to cook fish!

Leah P

More spice!

I thought this was absolutely delicious, but I certainly think that two jalapenos would work! Maybe I cooked mine for too long and the spice went away, but I thought this needed that extra bite.

Regardless, it was delicious!

Dave W

Pan-seared Cod

With over 50 kilos of Queen Charlotte Islands white fish, including a lot of ling cod, this recipe is just perfect. The recipe does well with halibut and yelloweye rockfish (red snapper) as well. Very tasty and healthy.

Francois G

Great but hectic recipe!

I had a great time making this recipe but it required a lot of quick work. I never got around to doing the suggested couscous.

With a bit more preparation on my part this will be a great one for having people over.

Jane F

Pan-seared cod

Terrific recipe! The coriander is wonderful with the panko cumbs.
I precooked the ragout (minus the basil) then simply cooked the fish after guests arrived.
The coucous I used is finer than the courser grain pictued here. Are they different?Where can I find Middle Eastern Coucous?

Joe G
Rouxbe Staff

Middle Eastern Couscous

Most specialty food shops will carry middle eastern couscous. Here is a Drill-down to explain the differences between the many varieties of couscous (cut and paste the address into your explorer bar). In Vancouver we pick it up at the Grainery on Granville Island or at Galloways.

http://rouxbe.com/tips-techniques/62

Laurie B

Cod Provencal

I used this recipe this week and was very happy with the results. It's the perfect combination of flavors! Thank you.

Montse L

Middle Eastern Couscous

Lovely with the recipe but I don't think I can get this nice couscous over here in Barcelona! what is the liquid added ? somekind of broth ? vídeo is too fast for me.. as far as I can see 1. fry onion 2. add couscous 3.pour liquid ? 4. add chives. is that it ? thks for help to anyone who knows

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

Re: Middle Eastern Couscous

There are text recipes that go with all videos. Here is the one for the couscous. http://rouxbe.com/recipes/62/text

And here is the one for the whole cod dish.
http://rouxbe.com/recipes/61/text

As for the couscous I am sure that you could order it online. Where abouts are you in Barcelona? (I was a Nanny there when I was younger).

Hope that helps. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask.

Montse L

Middle Eastern Couscous

Thks so much Dawn. I live outside Barcelona near the sea but if I go shopping "downtown" I go to the center. Maybe I can find this pearl couscous in the store of "El Corte Inglés " do you remember it ? by the way in which area did you stay ? hope you enjoyed your stay

Timothy D

New Years Eve 2008 Hit

Had been wanting to try this recipe for a very very long time and finally went for it. With a bit of prep (and I mean a bit - easy peasy), I pulled this one off to the raving delights of my fiancee and two of our guests who are rather finicky and have come to expect quality meals from my kitchen. Especially on a night like New Year's Eve. They raved and raved about it and I was overly pleased with it myself - particularly the ease of the cod (black BC) which I had never worked with nor eaten before. I will be doing this one again for many more again.

I must admit I added about a tablespoon of doppio (Italian tomato paste) to give the ragout a little boost because tomatoes are rather placid and bland this time of year. Not too much however, or I imagine it will overpower the dish.

And finally, I cooked the cous cous in this years Christmas turkey stock and the muted hint of rosemary was a wonderful contrast to the fresh basil.

April H

Quinoa will work, too

This was the first recipe we made from the Rouxbe sight and it was definitely a winner. It convinced us to experiment with more recipes from the site and every one has been over the top amazing. This dish was perfectly put together and the ragout over the top of the fish was just delicious. We used a bit more coriander to the panko than the recipe called for to give it a little more crunch and flavor. We also prefer quinoa to couscous as it has more flavor and is a complete protein. Other than that, the recipe itself yields picture worthy results.

Timothy V

careful with the saute pan

I shook the saute pan a bit while the cod was down, and this dislodged some of the breading; so . . . .

in future, don't do that

Liz S

Two meals in one

We really enjoyed this recipe. I had ragout left over and so a few days later we stir fried it with some more garlic and red onion and served it on pasta for a really delicious lunch.

Cory B

something off

There is clearly a good dish here but I just can't seem to nail it, something seems off. I think it's the couscous - either I just don't like the texture or I am not doing it right. I used the larger "grande" or "pearls" type but I'm not used to this so I don't know how to gage it. It seems too springy and separate. Not that they are too firm, I've tried cooking them several times with different amounts of liquid but I keep getting nearly identical results. Are they supposed to become creamy or is this how they are supposed to be and I just don't care for it? I might try the suggested polenta...
I did love the heat with the fish...

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

Re: Couscous Texture

Sounds like it may just be a texture thing with the couscous. If you are using the larger couscous you will not be able to obtain a creamy texture with this. Remember that couscous is a pasta and not a grain. For more information on couscous and the different types watch this Drill-down called "What is Couscous?".

It could just be that couscous (at least the large type) is not your thing. I say either try the smaller version or go for the polenta as you mentioned. Hope this helps!

Omar E

Substitution for the white wine

Any ideas for a non alcoholic substitute for the white wine.
I was thinking tomato liquid from canned tomatoes and lemon or whit wine vinegar.

Other liquids maybe: clam juice, seafood stock?

Any suggestions ...

Joe G
Rouxbe Staff

Substitutions for White Wine

You are thinking along the right lines Omar. White wine vinegar and lemon juice or combination would work for sure. I would suggest cutting this with about half liquid as well, such as stock (any kind) or water as the vinegar would be a bit too acidic. Hope this helps. Cheers,

Richard S

Doc Rick

I am a 52 yr old physician who has spent too much time studying and has essentially never cooked. I thought it was time to learn. I will sign up to this site for a year when my 7 day free trial ends. I like the explanations about the knives and the greek salad was great...I was off to a good start. And then I tried the cod. I was stressed. The garlic was hard to dice; it was so small. The cod tasted slimy even though it flaked apart and seemed done. Worse of all when I added the wine into the pan of oil, garlic, and pepper, I started a huge fire that rose about two to three feet. Fortunately, it went out in a few seconds but scared my 8 yr. old. I'm trying. The ragot tasted pretty good. I hope I get better.

Faye G

This is one of my favorite

have cooked this wonderful meal twice and both times it was a hit with my friends. It has that true Mediterranean flavor. The first time I used regular couscous and second time I used Israeli (Ptitim, pearl) couscous. Israeli couscous gives this dish more interesting texture; it is not creamy, but pearly (if I can say so). Interesting detail about how the Israeli couscous came about. The story goes that in the fifties, when the food in Israel was scarce they came up with the idea to manufacture a substitute for rice, which was in very short supply during that time of rationing. It therefore came as a shock to many Israelis when this humble staple made its way to the trendiest restaurants in New York and London.

Anne G

Doc Rick

Think of cooking as an extension of what you do as a physician. Both are life sustaining. With practice and patience you WILL get better. Try not to stress out over the end result and just enjoy the process. Remember, missteps in the kitchen are bound to occur, but no one is going to file a law suit over it! Have fun in the kitchen and laugh with your daughter over your mistakes. You are giving her something just as valuable as a vaccine: the love of good, wholesome homecooked meals! If you can make it through medical school, you can make it through cooking school! Let us know how you are progressing.

Ralph G

Cod Provencal

This sounds delicious, but I don't care for lima beans. Suggestions for substitutes, please. What would you think of haricots verts?

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

RE: Substitute for Lima Beans

You can substitute or leave the beans out all together, it's up to you. I have used edamame beans in the past and they were very nice. Here is a good resource for food substitutions. Cheers!

Lori A

Delish.

What I appreciate most is the part of the video that shows how to test the cod for doneness. Knowing when white fish is done is very difficult for me. Our fish came out perfectly. I think the reason for breading and frying one side but not the other is for presentation, is it not? It certainly was beautiful. I wonder what is the advantage of baking it after, as opposed to frying both sidesÉ The flavour base for the ragu reminds me of Snapper Veracruz. I didn't think Snapper Veracruz would taste good-I don't mean to offend the chef who thought it up, excuse me--my inexperience prevented me from imagining how these flavours would meld together. Because of that success, I knew Cod Provençal would be a hit in our household and I am right! Even the dog, Roxy, kept circling the kitchen because she liked the smell of the fish. But I also suspect she was snooping for some fish tidbits that may have fallen onto the floor. No luck for her--we devoured this plate and decided it was a real winner. Thanks Rouxbe!

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