Every Thursday, my friend Cristina (CC) over at centraljerseyworkingmoms.com and I talk recipes, motherhood and everything in between. We hope you will link up with us and share your favorite recipe. During the fall/winter months we featured recipes for the Crock Pot and now that spring/summer is rapidly approaching, we’re now going to try our hands at recipes that feature grilling! That’s not to say there aren’t “surprise” meals and recipes thrown in there as well! We love your comments. Please let us know if you’ve tried any of our recipes and how they turned out and if you have any tips or tricks of your own that you’d like to share. Because There is Always Time for a Home Cooked Meal

In my house, The Hubs is the “grillmaster.”  When he was growing up in Colorado, his dad (who worked for the gas company) hooked up their grill to some likely illegal contraption on their backyard deck so they could use it all year round.  When we moved into our current home, my husband’s first phone call was to the gas company to come out and install an outdoor line to the shiny new grill my mother bought us as a housewarming gift.   He can cook steaks, ribs and lamb chops to perfection, grill vegetables like no-other and has even mastered the rotisserie to make mouth-watering roasts and whole chickens.

As far as myself and grilling, well, we don’t always ignite, so to speak.  I don’t understand all the symmetry between which burners need to be on and placement of food on the grill.  I could wind up with something burnt to a crisp or totally raw, depending upon my placement.  However, I don’t let this discourage me, there are times — by dumb luck — that I get it perfect!

When I told The Hubs we were switching our Thursday recipe blog hop to grilling he immediately suggested that I try a fish recipe for this week’s entry.  FYI, he even suggested a clever name for Cristina & I to use “The GRILLmore Girls.”  I guess it helps to have a Hubs who knows his TV shows.  Anyway, I searched through my favorite Bobby Flay grilling cookbooks and selected Grilled Cod With White Bean Relish and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette.   Here was not only a main course of fish, but complimentary side dishes – all which had some sort of grilling component to them.

First step was to grill the veggies for the White Bean Relish and the Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette since the recipe suggests to let the flavors marinate all together for at least a ½ hour before serving.  I usually buy red roasted peppers in a huge jar from my local specialty market so grilling them was a new experience.  The thought of putting food directly on a flame quite honestly scares me a bit. What if they catch on fire?  Well, I seasoned and oiled the peppers as instructed and here they are grilling:

I Used Peppers I Already Had In The House, But A Red One Would Have Been A Nice Contrast In The Bean Relish

I think they turned out pretty good for a first time. The worst part was cleaning the grilled skin off.  The recipe suggested placing them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes, allowing the charred skin to fall off the peppers.  Not so much in my case.  I did a little online research and found that wrapping them in a damp paper towel and then place them in a brown paper bag seems to work well for amateur chefs (like me).  I also didn’t have red onion on hand, so I used shallots instead.  I don’t think it made too much difference in the taste department.  My only suggestions here are to add more Kalamata olives for the saltiness this relish needs and cut down on the olive oil…I felt it was way too much.

The White Bean Relish – Prep It First In Order For The Flavors Meld

Instead of preparing the cherry tomatoes on the grill, I wound up sautéing them on the stove. I was afraid the tomatoes were too small and would fall through my grill. So I used my trusty cast iron skillet and really let them roast down, letting them get all their water out and they caramelized and developed a tangy sweetness.

No Way I Could Roast These On The Grill, They Would Have All Fell Through 

Now for the fish.  I asked our fish monger to give me 2 pounds of cod and if he could cut them into equal pieces, from the thickest part of a de-boned filet. Sounds like a mouthful, but I didn’t want to be removing bones myself and uniform pieces should ideally cook evenly across the board.   I used only two pieces and wrapped the other two pieces and stuck them in the freezer to use next week.  I seasoned my fish and oiled them as instructed.  My mistake, and unfortunately a big one, was that I didn’t oil or grease up the grill before putting the fish on.  Only after I put the fish on the grill I realized that the oil on the fish clearly wouldn’t be enough and that it would likely stick to the grill…and it did, so I never got the char I wanted on the fish I served….it wound up on the grill in remnants.

Have Your Fish Monger Cut The Filet Into Even Sized Pieces & Remember DE-BONED

Both The Hubs and I thought it was a flavorful dish and it’s one that we’ll definitely make again…. I’m thinking to make it when our neighbors come over for dinner in a few weeks.  I would, however, caution to watch your fish on the grill carefully.   The Hubs & I are both in agreement that the fish was a little too cooked for our liking – more so on the ends (a bit rubbery) than in the middle (which was nice and buttery).  I guess it depends how you like your fish.  I like mine just under medium….

So here’s the recipe, again taken from Bobby Flay’s Grill It cookbook

Grilled Cod with White Bean Relish and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes (peppers, tomatoes and the fish)
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
Pinch of red chile flakes
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra sprigs for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 (8-ounce) cod fillets
2 tablespoons canola oil
White Bean Relish (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat your grill to high.

2. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, toss with the olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes on the grill in an even layer and grill until soft and charred on all sides, about 5 minutes for grape tomatoes and 8 minutes for cherry tomatoes.

3. While the tomatoes are grilling, whisk together the vinegar, shallot, and chile flakes in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil until emulsified and then stir in the basil and parsley. Add the hot tomatoes and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the cod.

4. Brush the cod with the canola oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Place the cod on the grill and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Turnover and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

5. Remove the cod to a platter and top with the white bean relish and cherry tomato vinaigrette. Garnish with basil sprigs.

White Bean Relish
Makes approximately 3 cups

Ingredients:

1 (15.5-ounce) can white beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
½ cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
1 red bell pepper, grilled, seeded, and finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, grilled, seeded, and finely diced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine the beans, olives, red and yellow peppers, onion, oil, and parsley in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. The relish can be made 8 hours in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Now it’s your turn to share.  Please link up below your favorite grilling recipe below and don’t forget to share your shortcuts or improvements to your dish.  Remember, there’s always time for a home cooked meal!

The Grilled Cod W/White Bean Relish & Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette – Recipe Blog Hop by The Harried Mom, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.