Cod with Tomato Sauce and Arborio Rice Recipe

Cod in Tomato Sauce over Arborio Rice

A Delicious Recipe For Cod and Tomato Sauce with Arborio Rice

As we were leaving the Jersey shore after a wonderful vacation with my family, we picked up a couple of cases of fresh Jersey Beefsteak tomatoes. I decided to make a big pot of sauce with these glorious tomatoes that are only available fresh for such a short time in the summer.

I've done this before but must have forgotten how much work is involved in peeling the skins off, coring them, and removing the seeds before using them to cook. I'll write a post about this experience, but as good as Jersey tomatoes are for slicing and serving with mozzarella cheese, I'm not sure my sauce was any better than when I made a big pot with quality, canned plum tomatoes.

Hmmm, I sense a taste test in my future.

Cod with Fresh Tomato Sauce

While reading my September edition of Food & Wine, I came across this recipe for cooking cod fillets in fresh tomato sauce and serving them with Arborio rice. The article was about what cookbook author Jessica Theroux learned while traveling around Italy looking for a way to "learn about food, life, and perfect pasta" for her cookbook, Cooking with Italian Grandmothers.

That journey inspired this recipe. Since I had a big container of fresh Jersey shore tomato sauce in the refrigerator that I needed to use, I thought I would give this a try.

The recipe says it takes 30 minutes of active cooking and a total of 1 hour. If you already have a sauce made, this qualifies as a Reluctant Gourmet "quick & easy" recipe and takes just 30 minutes.

If you don't have a homemade sauce made with Jersey Beefsteak tomatoes, you could substitute your favorite commercial brand or doctor up some plain canned tomato sauce to save time.  I used my sauce, but next time I want to try their recipe. It looks easy enough to make and includes saffron threads.

Let's talk about Arborio Rice

Arborio Rice is a stubby, short-grain rice that I typically use for making risotto.  It is said to have originally come from Italy and is named after the town of Arborio in the Po Valley, but I have recently read that it is now grown outside of Italy.

Because of their higher starch content, grains tend to be more creamy and sticky when cooked, making them perfect for blending with other ingredients. The distinguishable "bite" comes from a defect called chalk, where, according to Cook's Illustrated, "During maturation, the starch structures at the grain's core deform, making for a firm, toothy center when cooked."

In this recipe, you don't cook the Arborio rice like you normally do for making risotto or even like you are most likely accustomed to when preparing long grain rice.

You cook it like some form of pasta: start with a large pot of water, add seasonings, boil the rice, and then drain when cooked. This is a first for me, but it works, as you will see.

Substitutions and Omissions

As usual, I didn't have all the ingredients on hand so I made one substitution.  I used lemon zest instead of orange zest and left one out: the fresh parsley that was called for.

The lemon for orange was not a big deal, but my photo of the dish would have looked much better if sprinkled with chopped parsley.

I also didn't follow the directions carefully and cut my lemon zest into thin strips instead of 1-inch-wide strips, as the recipe calls for. This made removal more difficult at the end, when you were supposed to discard them.

So, in this case, do as I say and not as I do: Read The Recipe Carefully More Than Once!

This dish is so easy to make, and I'm already considering some alternatives.  A quick meal is not always good, but it tastes great. Give it a try; I think you'll like it, too.

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Cod with Tomato Sauce and Arborio Rice

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 - 5 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 pounds fresh tomatoes coarsely chopped
• ⅛ teaspoon saffron threads crumbled
• 5 sprigs oregano
• salt and pepper

For the Arborio Rice

• zest of orange cut into 1-inch wide strips, plus some finely grated zest for garnish. (I substituted lemon)
• 5 bay leaves
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 cup Arborio rice

For the Fish:

• 1½ pounds fresh cod or halibut -
• Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Heat up a large fry/sauté/skillet until hot. Add ¼ cup of the oil and let it get hot but not smoking.
• Add the garlic and crushed red peppers and cook until the garlic is golden but not burnt, about 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes and saffron and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to soften. This should take about 5 minutes.
• Add the oregano and season with salt and pepper.
• Let this cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes until the sauce breaks down and starts to thicken up. Be sure to stir and break up the tomatoes with your wooden spoon.

Prepare the Rice

• While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Add the orange zest strips, bay leaves, cloves, Arborio rice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the water. Cook the rice for about 15 minutes until it is al dente.
• Drain and remove the zest strips, bay leaves and cloves.
• Place the rice back into the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook the Fish

• When the sauce is complete, place the cod into the tomato sauce and cook (I guess this is braising) until the fish begins to flake and become opaque throughout. This takes 10 to 14 minutes. Be sure to turn the fish after about 7 minutes.
• Serve

Notes

Ask your fish person to cut the fish so it's the same thickness and if they can cut the fish into 4 or 5 fillets.

I used bowls to serve this dish. I plated some Arborio rice in the bowl, added some sauce and topped with a fillet of cod. If I had had some fresh parsley, I would have chopped it up and sprinkled it on top of the dish for flavor and appearance.