How to Make Roasted Cod with Haricot Vert, Lemon, and Bacon

There is a fresh seafood vendor at the Greenmarket that always has great looking fish and shellfish and long lines. They are P.E. & D.D. Seafood from eastern Long Island. We don’t eat a lot of fish (or meat) at home, but we made a point to finally try theirs. For bonus points we found a recipe that uses bacon!

This recipe turned out to be very quick, very easy, and superb. It also used haricot vert, or French green beans, which are also in season. It is a minor variation on a recipe from Jamie Oliver: The Naked Chef Takes Off. You can add more or less bacon, beans, or pine nuts but this represents a good balance for us.

Roasted Cod with Haricot Vert, Lemon, and Bacon

Makes 4 servings

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Trim the green beans and layer them in a Pyrex dish or roasting pan. Add the slices of garlic and season as desired with salt and pepper. Add enough olive oil to coat lightly. Toss / mix everything in the pan.
3. Lay the cod fillet(s) over the beans. Season again with a little bit of salt and pepper. Place the half strips of bacon over the fish and the beans. Sprinkle the pine nuts over everything. Shove the lemon halves into the corners of the pan.
   

   

4. Place on the middle rack of the oven for 15 – 30 minutes. The target internal temperature for the fish is 140 degrees, but the timing will vary depending on the thickness of the fillet and whether your oven runs hot. If you don’t have a thermometer, check that the center of the fish has the color and flaky consistently pictured.

   

5. Cut your portions and distribute the beans, nuts, and bacon. Make sure that each serving gets a lemon half. The lemon will have softened and sweetened into a jam-like sauce that is delicious and works so well with the fish and other ingredients. Make sure to scrape out that lemon; it’s not just for show!