• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

At the Immigrant's Table

  • Home
  • About me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Inspiration
  • Shop
    • Middle Eastern Small Plates E-book
  • Travel
  • Tutorials
  • Jewish Recipes
  • Russian Recipes
  • Main Course Recipes
  • Side dishes
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Travel
  • Gluten-free Recipes
  • Paleo recipes
  • Vegan recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Travel
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Travel
    • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Fish

    Published: Aug 18, 2015 · Modified: Oct 28, 2020 by kseniaprints · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · #sponsoredpost · 6 Comments

    Pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email
    • Print
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.

    This pan-seared cod with lightly spiced fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina. The ragout is fragrant with thyme and studded with carrots and celery, topped with pan-seared cod with a touch of salt and pepper.

    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.

    A pot of fennel-tomato ragout is simmering on the stovetop, its aromas wafting throughout the house. G has his feet up on the table, his long body splayed along the sectional couch, limply holding a tall glass of ice-cold water in his hand.

    I am standing in the kitchen, frying up pan-seared cod while beads of sweat run down my face, my neck, my back. All the fans are blowing at full force, barely moving the wet air around.

    But there's no cooling us down on this scorching summer day in Montreal, when you can take a shower just by stepping onto the street. No dispelling the heat, no breaking the sauna feel of the place.

    And yet, this is the day I decide to make pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout.

    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.

    You may wonder if I've lost my mind. If all the work I've been doing has completely dried my brain, leaving an empty nest only capable of working on auto-pilot, of resorting to familiar dishes that bring comfort despite their temperature.

    But I swear, there's a method to my madness; I am making pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout today because time is short.

    Because summer is only so long, and there's so much incredible, fresh produce to get through.

    Because hot food on a hot day actually regulates your body, helping it acclimatize and not work overtime trying to fight against the heat.

    Because lovely, red tomatoes just bursting with colour are now hitting the farmer's market stalls, and I just can't wait any more.

    Because the fish is so beautiful right now - plump salmon fattened from its summertime swim through the icy waters around Alaska, white-fleshed cod just begging to be savoured.

    Because there is so much I want to taste, to savour, to share with others around me, than to wait for cooler days.

    Because nothing says home like a pot of soup, a bowl of stew, a ladling of tomato-fennel ragout.

    Because I miss the Italian-Spanish melange of flavours of Buenos Aires. The vats of pastries alongside tiny espresso cups served with only slightly larger tumblers of sparkling water. The peppers and onions, the luxurious, long preparations. The sofrito that is the key to any magical dish.

    And actually, just because I want to.

    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.

    If there's one thing that my trip to Argentina did, besides giving me new friends for life and severe lactose-related indigestion, is that it reignited my love for fish.

    This pan-seared cod with lightly spiced fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Italian preparations that seemed to surround me in the land of meat and dulce de leche.

    The ragout is straightforward, fragrant with thyme and studded with carrots and celery. And the pan-seared cod is just that - pan-seared with a touch of salt and pepper.

    You could serve the ragout as is, or top with extra-firm tofu instead, and no one would complain.

    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.

    This dish is my first ode to Argentina's diverse, beautiful cooking. It's adapted from Ruth Reichl's brilliant Gourmet Today, which I turn to each time I'm in need of a weeknight classic.

    If you're brave enough to weather the heat at this time of year and make it, I encourage you to use the best cod, the reddest tomatoes, the liveliest fennel.

    And if you decide to wait until the temperatures drop a bit and cooler weather prevails, I am confident it won't be any less delicious.

    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.
    This pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina.

    Pan-seared cod with fennel-tomato ragout

    This pan-seared cod with lightly spiced fennel-tomato ragout harkens to the simple, Spanish-Italian food of Argentina. The ragout is fragrant with thyme and studded with carrots and celery, topped with pan-seared cod with a touch of salt and pepper.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Argentinian
    Keyword: cod, dinner, fall, fennel, fish, lunch, main, spring, tomatoes, winter
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Ksenia Prints

    Ingredients

    • 3 TBs olive oil
    • 1 onion cubed finely
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 2 carrots cubed finely
    • 1 large celery stalk cubed finely
    • 2 large fennel bulbs cut into 1-inch wedges, stalks discarded (save fronds for garnish)
    • 2 tomatoes cubed finely
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 ¾ cup vegetable stock
    • ⅔ cup coconut milk
    • 3 strands of fresh thyme
    • 4 6-7 oz pieces fresh Pacific cod
    • 1 TB Dijon mustard

    Instructions

    • Prepare the Italian sofrito: heat up a pan to medium heat, add olive oil, onions an garlic. Saute for 10 minutes, until fragrant and starting to turn golden. Add carrots and celery, stir, and saute an additional 10 minutes, until carrots are softening a bit.
    • Add fennel, salt, and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes, until fennel is lightly browned. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and thyme, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, partially covered, until all vegetables are tender but not at all mushy, about 20 minutes.
    • Approximately 10 minutes before fennel-tomato ragout is done cooking, pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skilled over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add fish and cook, turning once, about 6-8 minutes.
    • Stir mustard into ragout just before serving, taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
    • Serve fish over fennel-tomato ragout, sprinkled with chopped fennel fronds
    « The Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina {the Food}
    Top 10 vegetarian foods to eat in Argentina »

    Join me At the Immigrant's Table

    Receive updates, exclusive recipes and helpful tips by email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sofia | From the Land we Live on says

      August 18, 2015 at 10:56 am

      I love this kind of meal in the summer! You don't sound crazy at all. Beautiful pictures and words, as always 🙂

      Reply
      • kseniaprints says

        August 21, 2015 at 6:41 am

        Thank you so much, Sofia. I am glad to see other people enjoy the comfort of soups and stews in the summer as well!

        Reply
    2. Kathryn @ The Scratch Artist says

      August 18, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      Well I'm sold! I loved your last "becasuse". And isn't all this fresh produce so inspiring? I want to create and eat alllll day long.

      Reply
      • kseniaprints says

        August 21, 2015 at 6:42 am

        My plan for this Friday night is to go to the Farmer's Market and shop, and then cook until I drop. So yes, definitely inspired 🙂

        Reply
    3. Katie @ Whole Nourishment says

      August 19, 2015 at 2:01 am

      Ooh, this is just lovely! It looks sophisticated but also seems straightforward to execute making it the perfect dish for a casual dinner and dinner party alike. I love a good fennel tomato sauce and love your coconut milk addition.

      Reply
      • kseniaprints says

        August 21, 2015 at 6:42 am

        It really is rather simple - and yes, I preferred it with coconut milk rather than heavy cream, it lent it a strange sweetness that I really liked.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    peeling squash on cutting board

    Privet, I am Ksenia Prints! A food and travel blogger, photographer and storyteller. I help adventurous home cooks explore the world through healthy, beautiful immigrant recipes.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • The best eggplant shakshuka, or how to make friends with breakfast
    • Authentic Argentinian vegetarian empanadas, three ways {Veg}
    • How to make easy gluten free samosas with a sweet & spicy chickpea filling
    • How to Make the Ultimate Middle Eastern appetizer platter with our best mezze recipes {V, GF, Paleo}

    On the social side

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Search

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 At the Immigrant's Table