Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce
Slightly modified from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.- Ingredients:
- Tomato Sauce:
- 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 2 small serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fish Cakes:
- 3 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 1 1/2 lbs cod (or lingcod or rockfish), bones removed, flaked by hand or fork
- 1 med. onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 oz flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 oz cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 extra large eggs, beaten
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
To make the tomato sauce (can be done a day or two ahead of time): Heat olive oil in a very large frying pan. Add spices and onion and cook 8-10 mins. Add wine and simmer for 3. Add tomatoes, chile, garlic, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper. Simmer 15 mins until fairly thick. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Fish cakes: Turn the bread into crumbs using a food processor. Put the finely chopped fish, bread, and everything else except olive oil in a large bowl and mix together by hand. Form into about 8 cakes 3/4" thick and 3 1/4" in diameter. If they are very soft, firm up in the fridge for 30 mins. They need to be quite wet though.
Heat half the olive oil in a large pan over med-high heat. Sear half the cakes at a time, 3 mins each side until well colored. Try not to fiddle with them until they're completely browned on one side. Squish all the cakes in side by side and pour the sauce over them. Add a little water if necessary to get them mostly covered. Cover with a lid and simmer on very low heat for 15-20 mins. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes when done.
Serves 4.