October is National Seafood Month, which makes it a good time to break out of a recipe rut. These two recipes use steelhead trout and cod from Norway, grown in icy, clean waters. They are easy enough for a quick weeknight and impressive enough for a dinner party.
Grilled Norwegian Steelhead Trout Skewers
Steelhead trout from Norway grows slowly in cold, clean waters, which gives it a pure taste and firm flesh. Here the fish is cubed and threaded with zucchini and shallot, then brushed with a garlicky parsley sauce and grilled alongside charred lemon.
Difficulty: Easy. Serves: 4 people. Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Norwegian steelhead trout fillets
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 shallot
- 8 metal or wooden skewers
- 2 lemons
Steps
- Crush and peel the garlic. In a blender or food processor, pulse the parsley, garlic, crushed red pepper and olive oil to a thick puree. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
- Cut the fish into 1-inch cubes. Thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise on a mandoline and cut the shallot into small wedges. Onto each of the skewers, alternately thread a piece of fish, a slice of zucchini and a shallot, repeating until each skewer has 3 pieces of fish, 3 slices of zucchini and 2 pieces of shallot. Season the skewers with salt and pepper and brush all over with the parsley sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the skewers over moderate heat, turning, until the fish is lightly browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Meanwhile, halve the lemons crosswise and grill them cut side down until charred, about 2 minutes. Serve the skewers with the grilled lemon.
Baked Norwegian Cod with Sautéed Vegetables and Brown Butter-Caper Sauce
Norwegian cod bakes under herbs and Parmesan, then gets a brown butter sauce with lemon and capers. Sautéed cauliflower, broccoli and red onion fill out the plate, and toasted hazelnuts add crunch on top.
Difficulty: Easy. Serves: 4 people. Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 oz fresh basil, divided
- 1 oz fresh parsley
- 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1.5 lbs Norwegian cod fillets, skinned
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts
- 1/2 lemon
- 6 tbsp butter, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, divided
- 1 tbsp capers, drained
- 1 small cauliflower
- 1 small broccoli
- 1 red onion
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Roughly chop 1 oz basil and the parsley. In a small bowl, combine the herbs, 1 oz grated Parmesan and 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the cod fillets into a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour the herb mixture over the fish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, until fish flakes easily.
- Meanwhile, coarsely chop the hazelnuts. In a dry medium skillet, toast the nuts 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Set nuts aside and wipe out the skillet. Remove the peel from the lemon and chop the pulp into small pieces. Chop 2 cloves garlic. In the skillet, melt 5 tbsp butter over medium heat. Cook 2–3 minutes, until butter starts to foam and brown. Add the chopped garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon and capers. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into florets. Slice the onion into wedges, and thinly slice the garlic. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Add the vegetables and saute 5–7 minutes, until tender. Add 1 tbsp water and cook 1 minute more.
- Serve the baked cod with the vegetables. Pour caper-butter sauce over fish, and top with more fresh basil, toasted hazelnuts and grated Parmesan.
Find Seafood from Norway at your local Eataly.
