This dish was inspired by another dish we had at Don Alfonso. It could be made with any kind of white fish and any kind of green peppers, as mild or as hot as you like. The Italian green peppers that were used there were a bit milder than jalapeños. Pimientos de Padrón would also work. You can cook the fish in oven, or for more of a crust bread the cod and pan fry it. This dish has a lot of zing to it thanks to the peppers and the yogurt-lemon sauce. The technique for making a warm yogurt sauce is very nice.

Ingredients

For 4 servings

600 grams (1.3 lbs) cod, cut into 4 pieces

250 ml (1 cup) Greek yogurt

3 egg yolks

1/4 tsp salt

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

breadcrumbs

8 green peppers of your choice, such as jalapeños

Instructions

Season the cod with salt, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour so the salt can penetrate into the fish.

If cooking in the oven, preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

For the yogurt sauce, put the yogurt in a saucepan and add the grated lemon zest…

…lemon juice…

…1/4 tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 3 egg yolks.

Mix with a whisk until homogeneous.

If cooking the fish in the oven, brush the pieces of fish on all sides with olive oil…

…and cover with breadcrumbs. Insert the probe of an instant-read thermometer into the center of one of the pieces of fish…

…and cook the fish in the oven at 180C/350F until the core temperature is 50C/122F.

As an alternative, dip the pieces of fish in the leftover egg whites and bread them with the breadcrumbs, then pan fry them in olive oil. This will make for a crispier but also heavier crust.

Cook the green peppers over high heat in a bit of oil until blistered all over, then turn off the heat and season with salt.

Cook the yogurt sauce over medium heat, stirring…

…until it thickens. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the fish with the peppers and sauce on preheated plates.

Wine pairing

This is nice with many unoaked medium to full bodied dry whites that do not have a high acidity, such as a Fiano di Avellino, Vermentino di Sardegna or a Pecorello from Calabria. (Most Greco di Tufo will be too acidic.)

Flashback

This venison and wild mushroom stew has great depth of flavor and works very well with Barolo or similar Italian red wines.