The rich chowder serves as a sauce in this dish. At the restaurant, they use house-smoked king clams andpankoin thepanzanella, which is a modern take on the classic Italian bread salad. If you like, puree equal parts parsley, fennel fronds, and olive oil, then spoon the vibrant green sauce around the fish.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Chowder:
Panzanella and fish:
For chowder:
Step 1
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add fennel, potato, onion, and leek. Cover and cook until vegetables are just tender but not brown, about 8 minutes. Add flour, bay leaves, and thyme; stir 1 minute. Stir in clam juice, cream, and milk. Simmer until chowder thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Mix in lemon peel; season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool 30 minutes; cover and refrigerate.
For panzanella and fish:
Step 2
Toss celery, shallot, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, lemon peel, and smoked oysters in medium bowl. Season celery-shallot mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Combine 3 tablespoons butter, thyme, and 3 teaspoons lemon juice in small saucepan. Whisk over low heat until butter melts and sauce simmers; season with coarse salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Add fish, skin side down, to skillet. Cook until skin is crisp and fish is just opaque in center, drizzling lemon-butter sauce over, 6 to 7 minutes.
Step 4
Rewarm chowder over low heat; discard bay leaves. Divide chowder among 4 shallow bowls. Place fish, skin side down, in center of chowder. Stir panko into celery-shallot mixture; spoon over fish and serve.
Step 5
- Available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.
How would you rate Black Cod with Fennel Chowder and Smoked Oyster Panzanella?
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Reviews (11)
Back to TopThis was really good, therefore I'm giving it four forks. However, it was many times more complicated to prepare than a traditional fish chowder (which I love) without being that many times more delicious. There don't seem to be lots of recipes for black cod, and it is probably too delicate to be cooked right in the chowder, but there has to be a way to make a good black cod chowder without using so many ingredients and so many steps. I won't make it again without major modifications.
043548
California
5/15/2021
I mainly followed directions for the chowder but substituted celery root for the fennel and threw in a few fennel seeds instead. I used frozen smoked black cod for the fish and fried as directed for a crispy skin. I considered omitting the smoked oysters but added them to the shallot mix again with finely diced celery root instead of celery. Plated beautifully in the chowder. All was worthy of 5 star restaurant rating.
Pointhouse
Halfmoon Bay, BC
10/14/2014
This recipe, as written with no substitutions, is divine. (@Madison, WIThe Seafood Center with four locations in Madison usually can get fresh not frozen black cod for me whenever I ask for it. It is expensive, but my favorite fish on the planet: buttery, rich and firm). My only substitution next time will be half and half for whole cream as a symbolic homage to my cholesterol levels.
btmadison
Madison, WI
12/15/2012
Very good. Used fresh mexican seabass since there was no black cod available. I ended up cooking for chowder for an extra 20 minutes and it really thickened up nicely. Add the salt to the chowder at the end to taste otherwise it will be too salty.
kalikutie
los angeles, ca
12/22/2010
海鲜杂烩浓汤是美味的。我添加一些震动啊f Old Bay to it, otherwise made as directed. Makes only a small amount, enough for a small bowl per person. I did not serve this under the fish, as I felt the fish skin and bones would make it hard to eat. I served with small bowl on corner of square plate. The panzanella I made with smoked scallops instead of smoked oysters. Flavor was mild but delicious. Otherwise made as directly and was superb on the fish. DID NOT FRY FISH! Baked, basting with prescribed sauce, in baking pan. Did not require any butter in pan. Much easier, no mess on stove. Skin does not come out crispy, however. Perhaps when plating should just remove skin? Then might be able to serve in shallow soup bowls as directed over chowder for best of all worlds. Bake fish at 350 for 23-25 minutes for fairly thick 6 oz pieces.
coast2coast
Seattle, WA area
11/20/2010
ubstituted Fresh Chilean Sea Bass for Black Cod as I live closer to East than West(can only get Black Cod ((or Sable Fish)) frozen here)Otherwise made as per directions except for salt(oysters and clam juice had enough for whole recipe). It was absolutely delish..will definately make again..agree with love1siamese about the fat though so will keep for just once in a while.
AcookfromWaterloo
11/5/2010
the chowder was amazing and was a perfect complement to the cod. i subbed chicken stock for the clam juice (don't eat shellfish) and left out the topping entirely and it was STILL perfect. delicious. will definitely make this for company in the future.
racheltoo
brooklyn, ny
4/25/2010
Made this for a dinner with friends and it was a hit! I added a bit more onions, black pepper, Old Bay, (as reco'd in another review) and a bit of Himalayan salt to the chowder to give it more flavor. I substituted Chilean Sea Bass for the Black Cod - it held up well to the chowder and the panzanella. The shallot in the panzanella was a little overpowering - I'll lightly saute to bring out the sweetness of the shallots the next time I make this. Adding the puree of parsley and fennel gave the dish a great pop of color! Overall a satisfying dish with a gourmet look. I will definitely make this again.
JoahneLC1
Montclair, NJ
3/14/2010
We made the smoked oyster panzanella over flounder. It was delicious. I understand why other reviewers thought that the oyster would overpower the fish. We ate some of the panzanella with the fish and the other we ate over steamed broccoli. Did not make the chowder. With wild rice on the side the chowder was unnecessary.
LeCordonGreen
GA
10/17/2009
Took a little while because of the all the chopping, so set up a food processor and it'll go a lot faster. Easy to prepare ahead of time and reheat the chowder. I liked everything except the oysters - they were much too strong and overpowered everything else. Next time I'll leave them out. Looked gorgeous and tasted great (minus the oysters), so giving 3 forks and sans oysters it could be 4.
jadair
Weatherford, TX
8/28/2009
I was excited to see this recipe as the ingredients reminded me of a restaurant meal I had locally that was so delicious. I prepared this last evening and made a few substitutions etc. I have not been able to find black cod locally even though it is served in some local eataries so I substituted New Zealand Hoki that was available at our local Whole Foods. I had not tried this fish before but it was wonderful. I did not add the smoked oysters to the panzanella and did not think it detracted at all from the dish as a whole. I did add some Old Bay seasoning to the chowder that I think gave great flavor over simple salt and pepper. This dish when plated was worthy of gourmet status and could be easily served for company as the chowder and components could be prepared in advance. The only negative was all the butter and high fat dairy products. When I attempt this again I will be working on trimming the fat but keeping the flavor.
love1siamese
Madison, WI
8/24/2009
