“Anniversary Cod”
The 10th wedding anniversary of our friends, Kirun and Jamie, coincided with the first delivery of the Community-Supported Fish initiative. Gamely, our friends agreed to come over and roast one large cod. We raided the herb garden, then stuffed the gutted fish with lemon thyme and tarragon, and lemon slices. We buttered the skin, then salted the fish, which was as long as my refrigerator is wide, and seemed to fit unceremoniously into the large roasting pan. After pouring a little champagne into the pan, we slipped it into a 450 oven and kept watch for the skin to sear and turn a warm brown. After roughly 45 minutes (enough time to finish a celebratory cocktail) we lowered the heat to 300 and the fish continued roasting for another 45 minutes. To the roasting juices, we added a few tablespoons of butter to create a wine sauce and served the fish with pan roasted potatoes flavored with balsamic vinegar.
