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Dinner Tonight: Cod with Tarragon-Anchovy Breadcrumbs

Posted by Blake Royer, October 29, 2009 at 4:00 PM

[Photograph: Blake Royer]

The recipe, from Nigel Slater, sounded like a fancy version of fish and chips: Fat, meaty fillets of haddock are coated in bread crumbs and shallow-fried until brown and crisp. I substituted cod, but what intrigued me especially about this recipe was the coating, which is a combination of bread crumbs, tarragon leaves, and minced anchovies.

Tarragon is a powerful herb that is best used in small doses, and for the same reason also perfumes the whole dish. Even better, though, are the anchovies, which melted away during the frying but left their nutty signature, deepening the dish's flavor to amp up the relatively mild flavor of cod. Meanwhile, the cod's flesh itself was meaty and dense, offset by the breadcrumb crunch. I was amazed at how much flavor the recipe was able to achieve with just a few ingredients and a short time.

About the author: Blake Royer founded The Paupered Chef with Nick Kindelsperger, where he writes about food and occasional travels. After a year in Estonia, he's now living in Chicago.

Cod with Tarragon-Anchovy Breadcrumbs

- serves 2 -

Adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater.

Ingredients

2 fillets cod or haddock, about 3/4 pound
5 slices slightly stale white bread
8 anchovy fillets, minced
2-3 dense sprigs tarragon
1 egg, whisked
1/2 cup flour
Peanut or canola oil for frying
1/2 tablespoon butter
Lemon

Procedure

1. Tear the bread into chunks and toss into a food processor, pulsing until it's turned into soft breadcrumbs. Alternatively, carefully grate the bread on a box grater. Pull the leaves from the tarragon stalks and combine them, along with the anchovies, with the breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Spread the flour and the egg separately on two plates large enough to hold the fillets.

3. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet just large enough to hold the fish. As it warms, add the butter. Dip the fish fillets in the egg, then the flour, then the breadcrumbs. If necessary, lay the fish out and pat the breadcrumbs onto the fillets by hand. Lower them carefully into the oi, which should have a healthy sizzle, cooking 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.

4. Drain on paper towels briefly, and serve with lemon wedges and a simple salad.

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Tags: cod, Dinner Tonight, fish, seafood

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