Seared Cod With Green Olive, Lemon and Parsley Relish

From Olives & Oranges, by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox

Excerpted from OLIVES & ORANGES by Sara Jenkins & Mindy Fox. Copyright @ 2008 by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox. Reprinted with permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• Servings: 4.

In Olives & Oranges by Chef Sara Jenkins and food writer and editor Mindy Fox, they write that this "quick-cook" dish can be varied by substituting arugula for parsley or oranges instead of lemon. They also recommend the strong-flavored Picholine olive but you can use any olive that has flavor.

This recipe is exemplary of the simple but confident approach to cooking in this appealing and accessible book that celebrates the cuisines that surround the Mediterranean, including Cyprus, Lebanon, Greece, Spain, Italy and France.

Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• 1 packed cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 cup Picholine olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Fine sea salt
• 4 6-to-8-ounce skinless cod fillets, about 1-inch thick
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs

Directions

1. With a small sharp knife or vegetable peeler, cut 4 wide slices of lemon peel, avoiding white pith; set aside until you're ready to cook the fish.
2. Trim off the tops and bottoms of lemons. Stand each fruit on end and carefully cut the remaining peel and pith from flesh, following curve of fruit from top to bottom. Trim away any remaining pith.
3. Working over a large bowl, cut each lemon section away from the membranes, cutting as close to the membranes as you can, and dropping the segments into the bowl. Squeeze juices from membranes into the bowl and discard the membranes.
4. Add parsley, olives, minced shallot and 1/8-teaspoon salt to the lemon segments. Stir to combine and let sit for 30 minutes.
5. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place fish flesh side down in pan. Top each with a slice of lemon peel and sprig of thyme.
7. Cook, carefully tilting the pan and spooning hot oil over the fish, until the fish is opaque throughout and you have a nice crust on the flesh side, about 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Carefully transfer the fish to plates, turning it flesh side up.
9. Top with lemon relish and serve.