Baked Cod with Zesty Walnut-Cilantro Sauce

I got this recipe from Jacques Pepin's cookbook Fast Food My Way. This is a great cookbook, and Jacques has a cooking philosophy that I can relate to..simple ingredients that are adaptable to what you have or personally like. Nothing fancy, but the final results seem like haute cuisine somehow.

My wife made this recipe shortly after we got the book. I didn't try it because I was in the mood for pan fried cod instead. Jacques recipes calls for raw garlic, and I had to deal with garlic kisses for the rest of that night. This time, I opted for roasted garlic, which is much milder. I also made a few other substitutions, namely lime juice and zest for apple cider vinegar, a dash of Tabasco for extra heat, and chili powder for extra zest, and to run with the whole southwest flavor theme that runs through this dish. You can use any firm, mild white fish for this, but I used cod.

Walnut-Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts
3 garlic cloves, halved
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
zest & juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 tsp each of cumin and chili powder
1/4 tsp each of salt & pepper
a few shakes of Tabasco or hot sauce
1/2 cup V8 juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic in a bit of aluminum foil with a drizzle of olive oil and wrap tightly, and place in the oven.

Once the oven is preheated, spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 7-8 minutes. Remove the nuts once they are lightly browned, as well as the garlic. Place the walnuts, roasted garlic and remaining ingredients except for the cilantro in a small food processor or blender and blend until creamy. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Sauce may be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Baked Cod

Ingredients

4 cod fillets (about 6 oz each)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the cod, season with salt and pepper and rub with the oil. Cook for 12 minutes, or until cooked through in the same 400 degree oven.

To serve the dish, spoon a couple of large spoonfuls of the sauce on warmed plates, lay a fillet on top of the sauce, add a little more sauce, a slice of lime and a few shakes of chili powder.

Enjoy. This dish is delicious!