Crispy Cod, Apple Cider Chickpeas

My latest recipe for Gothamist is based on one of the best dishes I had at NYC hotspot Cookshop.  You may have read my previous thoughts about Cookshop, but generally I recommend it despite the fact there are a couple of clunkers on the menu. 

I liked the idea of making a chickpea stew, which was served with a fantastic piece of crispy, moist cod.  I thought I'd slowly braise the chickpeas in apple cider, allowing the cider to reduce and create an apple cider reduction and basically infuse its flavor into the chickpeas.  I added sage for a burst of earthy herbaciousness, crumbled in some ricotta salata for a firm and creamy counterpart and finished the chickpeas with crunchy pomegranate seeds.

I would have added bacon or chorizo to the chickpea stew, but I generally felt like a lard ass after a big meal the night before and kept it bacon-free.  Think about adding this, as the porky, smoky flavors would be a nice match.

My full recipe is below......

Ingredient Shopping List
Recipe serves two people.

2 (6 to 8-ounce) cod fillets
extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
i small white or red onion
red pepper flakes
1 lemon
1 can chickpeas or 1 cup previously prepared dried chickpeas
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
bunch of fresh sage
1 pomegranate
1 chunk ricotta salata
1 pint apple cider
1 tblsp unsalted butter

Estimated cost of ingredients: $18-20 at Fairway

Prep the Ingredients

Finely chop about ½ of a small onion. Finely chop 2 cloves garlic. Remove the seeds from one pomegranate. You can make dried chickpeas if you have the time, otherwise open and rinse one can of chickpeas. Finely chop about about 2 tblsps worth of fresh sage. Crumble about ½ cup ricotta salata cheese.

Make the Chickpea Stew

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes on low heat. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add a dash of chili pepper flakes. After a minute, add about ½ cup apple cider and bring to a simmer. After this simmers for about two minutes, add the chickpeas and bring the heat to low. Let this simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is most evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, water, and salt to taste. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the chopped sage and the crumbled cheese. Add a tblsp of butter. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste. Do not add the pomegranate until you are ready to serve at the last minute. Heat is not your friend with these seeds as they change color and texture. If you’d like, a handful of fresh chopped parsley is helpful for freshness and color.

Note: Gothamist would add chorizo, bacon etc to this dish, but since we add it to every recipe we do here, it has been deleted. We recommend it though as the smoky, porky flavor is nice here.

Make the Cod

Preheat the oven to 350.
Season both sides of the fillets with salt and pepper. Place a glug of olive oil in the bottom of a pan and place on high heat. When hot but not smoking, then place fillet in the pan, skin side down if you have skin on your fillets. Roast fillets in pan for about 3-4 minutes – do not touch until they naturally come away from the pan. They should be brown and golden. Flip the cod and sear on the other side for another two minutes. Add the plan to the oven and roast for about 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your fillets.

Finish the Dish

Let the fish rest before serving it for a few minutes to let the juices settle. Reheat your chickpeas and add the pomegranate seeds to them and mix. Place the chickpeas on the plate and add the cod on top. Collect any of the pan juices and baste the cod with them before serving.