Campeche-Style Baked Cod

Food Service Search Staff

INGREDIENTS:4 5- to 6-oz. Alaska Cod fillets
2-3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
1 16-oz. bottle Frontera Roasted Jalapeño-Cilantro Salsa (recipe follows)

Roasted Jalapeño-Cilantro Salsa:
1 ½ lbs. ripe tomatoes (preferably plum)
2-3 fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed
½ small white onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup water (approximately)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. cider vinegar DIRECTIONS:To Prepare Cod: Heat oven to 350°F. Place cod fillets in lightly oiled baking dish without crowding them. Drizzle with lime juice and sprinkle with cilantro. Spoon salsa over fish, cover with foil and bake until fish just flakes when pressed firmly, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets.

For Serving: Place a fillet onto a warm plate; spoon sauce and juices over fish. (If sauce seems too juicy, scrape it into a saucepan and boil it down.) Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and serve at once.

Heat broiler. Lay whole tomatoes and jalapeños on broiler pan or baking sheet, set pan 4 inches below broiler, and broil for about 6 minutes until darkly roasted (even rather blackened) on one side. Tomato skins will split and curl in places. With tongs, flop over tomatoes and chiles and roast for another 6 minutes or so. Set aside to cool.

Reduce oven to 425°F. On similar pan or baking sheet, combine onion and garlic (separate onion into rings), and set in oven. Stir carefully every few minutes, until onions are roasted and garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes.

In food processor, pulse jalapeños (no need to peel or seed) with onion-garlic mixture until moderately finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula to keep it moving around. Scoop into a big bowl. Without washing processor, coarsely purée tomatoes and all the juice that has accumulated around them, and add to the bowl. Stir in enough water to give salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Stir in cilantro. Taste and season with salt and vinegar. Remember that this condiment should be a little feisty in its seasoning. Salsa can be kept, refrigerated, for up to 5 days. SERVINGS:4 servings From:Chef Rick Bayless PHOTO CREDIT:Photo Credit: ALASKA SEAFOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE