I was a bit nervous to make this recipe. After learning the magic of poaching fish in milk, I thought why not poach it in almond milk? The French are famous for their trout amandine–trout fish covered and baked in slivered almonds–and my almond and coriander stuffed bass was on of the most flavorful fish recipes I have ever made, so why shouldn't almond milk with cod be delicious as well? I looked on the internet to see if anyone else had thought of this recipe as well, and they hadn't. That's where I got concerned.
Whenever I invent some strange combination of foods or a clever presentation, I always end up finding hundreds of variations that already exist. The inter web is digital infinity incarnate. It is like the parallel universe theory: that if you go far enough into space, you'll end up finding a planet virtually identical to earth. Internet recipes adhere to the same physics. If you can dream it, it probably already exists. So then why had no one else documented almond poached fish? I went for it anyway, despite the fact that I was making the dish for an important dinner, one for which the sager choice might have been to make something I felt more confidant in. But if you don't take risks with cooking, you won't learn or discover new combinations. And the fish turned out better than I could have hoped for. Delicately infused with the flavor of almonds and herbs, the milk poaching created a perfect balance between light and rich, and the broth that was left over from the poaching was divine. I turned the leftover broth into soup the next day, and plan to serve it as a palette cleanser between courses the next time I make this recipe.
Ingredients
.5 pound/.2 kilos of fish per person.
Quantities for 8 people:
Cod filet, 4 pounds/2 kilos
Unsweetened almond milk, 8 cups/2 liters (enough to fully cover the fish in the pan)
Onions, 2 large
Coriander/cilantro, handful
Lemon, 1/2
S+P
The last of the spring roses in Normandy. And the last of our spring onions from the garden which were used to make the almond broth and sauce for the fish.
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 250ºF/120ºC.
Salt and pepper the cod filets and place in large baking dish.
Finely dice onions and coriander and place in large mixing bowl. Add almond milk and lemon juice and mix.
Pour almond milk mixture over cod, evenly distributing the onions and herbs to fully cover the fish.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the fish becomes opaque. Translucence indicates the fish is still raw. Another way to test doneness is if a knife is able to easily break through the meat. Resistance means it needs to keep cooking.
Foie gras on gluten free toasts with cracked pepper and large sea salt crystals from guérande.
Le potager, French for vegetable garden, in progress. Filled with the beginnings of tomato plants, soon to be planted pumpkins, melons, squash, and on the other side of the roses, are strawberries, rhubarb, broccoli, watermelon, and raspberry bushes under the plum and apricot tree.
