Black Forest | ChefsOpinion

Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

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When I was growing up in the Black Forest in Germany, there were only two species of fish I experienced – the native Trout ( Bach Forelle ), which was available fresh in nearly every single restaurant, and Cod , which was the most affordable ocean fish, available fresh at most fish shops in the bigger towns and cities. Since trout was local and inexpensive, it was not really a treat for the kids, also, because it was usually served whole, head, skin and bones, it was something the parents ate, while the kids sticked to fish fingers made of cod fillet, served with plenty of sauce remoulade. 🙂
Once I became an apprentice and then during my many years of cooking (and eating) around the world, fish and seafood in it’s endless varieties became some of my favorite food.
For years, Turbot and Chilean Sea Bass (“Pacific Sea Bass” / “South American Sea Bass” / Merluza Negra / Patagonian Toothfish) , topped the list of my most beloved fish species. Then, surprise surprise, slowly but surely my preference wandered back to the simple Cod, where is stayed until today. Sadly, because it has lost it’s “inferior” reputation, the once very reasonably priced cod now costs the same prohibitive $-amount as any other good quality fish on the market.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Baked Atlantic Cod Fillet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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: blanche and drain one cleaned, quartered head of cauliflower

: season 1 ea 20 oz fillet of cod with sriracha, lemon juice and kosher salt to taste, dip both sides in panko crumbs

: place the fish and the cauliflower on a rack, brush cauliflower with melted butter, sprinkle with kosher salt and grated parmesan to taste, bake in a pre-heated oven (400 F) until fish is cooked through (turn fish once), ca 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet

: meanwhile, saute 8 ea peppers, 2 tblsp capers, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 4 oz whole butter and kosher salt until heated through

: plate the fish and the cauliflower

: top with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, top with the hot peppers, capers and butter (serves 2)

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

: Baked Atlantic Cod Filet, Cauliflower, Sweet Cherry Peppers And Capers In Lemon & EVO

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE

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I dedicate this dish to the city of Riccione, where I had my first moment of culinary ecstasy.
When I was 16 years old and an cook-apprentice in the Black Forest of Germany, I thought life, and particular working life, was too hard for me to handle, so I decided to run away from it.
I hitchhiked through southern Germany to Austria and from there over the Brenner Pass in the Dolomiti Alps down to Riccione in Northern Italy in the hopes of finding happiness and love in a life of leisure on the beach (well, I was 16 years of age in an area before the internet – ignorance and naïveté prevailed in 16 year old’s at that time :-).
When I left Baden Baden for my adventure I had 26.00 German Marks to my name, most of which I spend the first night on steins of beer in the “Englisher Garten” in Munich. I remember I crossed the border from Austria into Italy with 6.00 DM in my pocket. After breakfast that day, it was four weeks of sleeping under the stars and asking (begging actually) shop owners and restaurant owners for donations to support, in the form of food and drink, my escape from a working life to the bohemian life of my dreams. These were different times altogether. I was a skinny kid without a home, and most people I met had pity and gave me a good meal, most often a sandwich and/or some fruit and soft drinks. Also, everyone offered a free smoke of the good stuff, which made a penny less life on the road so much brighter 🙂
However, I remember when I got to Riccione, on the first day I spend there, the chef in a seaside restaurant handed me a simple plate of pasta with shrimp. This was the first time I saw shrimp of that size and had a dish that was so exotic and wonderful, both in its taste and its looks. To this day I remember the awesomeness I felt by smelling this food, feasting on its looks with my eyes and then devouring it all in a happy flash.
After one month of some happy, some frightening but never boring moments, even skinnier than before I left, but maybe just a bit wiser, I crawled back to my apprenticeship at the Hotel Wiedenfelsen, finished it and became a professional cook, never again to regret my earlier decision to follow this lifelong, tough, underpaid, but in so many other way’s rewarding career path of a cook and chef.
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Bon Appetit ! See you in Riccione 🙂
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>riccione,

Mafaldine Alla Riccione

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: saute bread crumbs in olive oil or butter (according to your preference), season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: cook mafaldine in salted water, drain, toss in (according to your preference) garlic oil or melted butter with garlic paste, add a spritz of maggi

: almost………

: season shrimp with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, add to pangrattato, saute until shrimp are done and breadcrumbs are golden in color, add sliced scallions and chili flakes