citrus haddock with bak choy and mushrooms

Then there was the time that it was the season finale of Downton Abbey.

It had been a few weeks since I attempted a full three course meal and so the finale was a great opportunity to get back in the swing of it. Baby Sister threw a bit of a wrinkle in the plans with the requests for a slightly healthier meal. I haven't exactly been making terrible things for us to eat but an asparagus cheese tart isn't the best thing on the earth. So I appreciated the challenge.

My original plan was for a 4 course meal that would kick off with oysters. But, nobody told all the stores in the North End that I wanted to do that. So everyone was sold out of oysters. Whamo. Moving on and down to three courses.
Not terrible. Oh, and we had champagne. I used to not have a taste for the bubbles but now I love them. I'm not a huge drinker but I'll never turn down a glass of bubbles.
When we first started these Downton meals I tried to stick more to the Edwardian style of cooking. This cod dish isn't something that you'll find at Highclere Castle ... but it is still very simple and easy. The original recipe that I saw for this dish called for cooking in parchment paper. I've always wanted to do this. The first time I saw this done I was on like a third date at Tremont 647 in the South End. I literally jumped out of my skin .... and the chair.... when I opened the parchment on my dinner. See, the thing is the parchment steams the fish and so the delicate breadcrumbs on my fish were MOVING and WAVING when I opened it. Jumping out of your chair is a great way to seem worldly and impressive.

I also jumped out of my skin a bit when I saw the skin on the fish. Cute right?

I've never trimmed fish before but I've watched about a million episodes of "Top Chef" so I figured I'd just sharpen my knife and go for it. It clearly worked out. I'm alive but not without a little yelping and talking to Eleanor as I tried to cut off the skin without butchering my fillets.

Anyway, I opted out of the parchment for this round for simplicity sake ... but I'll get to that at some point.

This dish was really great. It was nice and light but flavorful. I'm a lover of breadcrumbs so to please me without them is not super easy. The sauce was really great and should definitely be replicated .... I can't say the same for the bak choy. It was hard to eat! See ya bak choy.

Here's how it goes.

(Step 1) Preheat oven to 375 F

(Step 2) Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together.

(Step 3) Lay the trimmed bok choy and mushrooms on the bottom of your glass baking dish.

(Step 4) Season both sides of your fish fillets with salt and pepper. Lay them on top of the veggies.

(Step 5) Drizzle the sauce on top of the fish.

(Step 6) Cover with thin orange slices

(Step 7) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish gently flakes.

Based on this recipe

Shopping List
2 pieces of cod or other white fish – about 5-6 oz each
5 or so leaves of bok choy, per serving (or any crunchy, leafy vegetables you like)
a few handfuls of mushrooms
2-3 orange slices per serving
salt & pepper

the sauce!
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon agave
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
juice of 1/2 an orange (about 3 tablespoons)

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