Pan Seared Cod with Fava Beans, Chorizo, and Mushrooms
I’ve previously mentioned that the key to great food is to use ingredients when they are at their best, which, in the case of produce, means when they are in season. Additionally, getting produce as locally as possible is not only going to help your food taste better, but it’s also much better for the environment.
Fava beans are used as a cover crop throughout Oregon, helping farmers suppress weeds as well as boosting the nitrogen content of the soil. Beyond their practical uses, favas are a wonderful, and often times overlooked legume.
The dense forests of the Pacific Northwest are also a treasure trove for mushroom hunters where a wide variety of fungi can be found growing in the wild.
Green Pea Puree
Ingredients:
2 cups green peas, cooked
¼ cup olive oil
Water
1 TBSP lemon juice
Instructions:
Place peas, olive oil, and lemon juice into a blender.
Blend and slowly add water and blend until smooth.
Season to taste. (For a little something extra add a pinch of cayenne pepper)
Fava Beans
Ingredients:
1 lb fava beans (half this amount if you can get fava beans already out of the pod)
Instructions:
In a large pot, bring water up to a boil
Remove fava beans from pod
Drop fava beans into boiling water for 30 seconds
Quickly drain boiling water and place fava beans in ice water. (This process is known as blanching)
Peel the hull from around the bean. The hull of the fava is very waxy and rubbery
Assembly
Ingredients:
½ lb pacific cod (Try to get a loin that is at least 1 to 1 ½ inches thick)
All purpose flour
Dried, uncured chorizo, cut into small, ¼-inch cubes
Pea shoots
Mushrooms, cleaned (I am using a variety of mushrooms local to the area including: porcini, black trumpets, morels, chantrelle, and lobster mushrooms)
Lemon juice
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 500ºF
Heat up your pea puree
Season cod and dredge one side of the fish in all purpose flour
Add canola oil to a stainless steal pan on medium-high heat
Place the cod flour side down in the pan, making sure to press down on the fish with your fingers to make sure the fish doesn’t begin to pucker in the middle. Pressing down at the beginning will ensure you get a nice, consistent sear on that side
Once the fish is golden brown, flip and place the fish in the oven for two - three minutes being careful not to overcook the fish. White flesh fish is delicate and will fall apart if overcooked
Pull the fish out of the oven and take of the pan and let it rest in a separate plate
While the fish rests, in a pan on medium heat, add the chorizo and allow the fat to slowly render out
Once the fat begins sizzling, throw in your mushrooms and cook
Toss in your fava beans followed shortly after by the pea shoots
At the very end, toss in a teaspoon of butter and a splash of lemon juice to bring it all together
On the plate, place your pea puree covering the bottom of the plate, followed by a nice bed of your favas, chorizo, and mushrooms. Top with the pan seared cod
