Cod Cheeks with Piquillo Pepper Polenta and Arugula

This is my first created dish.  If you're a fan of roasted peppers then you haven't lived until you've had Piquillo peppers from Spain.  Hands down the sweetest, most flavorful peppers I've ever encountered.  When I'm in the mood to splurge I use these in any recipe in which the red peppers play an important role. They're becoming more and more common in grocery stores, and of course you can find them online.  They're a little on the pricey side, so I use them judiciously.

I've recently discovered the joys of polenta.  I decided to combine the two.  Then I had to decide what to serve with it.  I settled on some type of white fish (an oily or meaty fish like salmon or tuna would overwhelm the subtlety of the pepper polenta).  As luck would have it, my fishmonger had cod cheeks this day.  Halibut cheeks are fairly common in the Pacific NW and though flavorful can be a bit fibrous.  The delicate meat of these cod cheeks was perfect. (Cheek meat whether from fish or pork is terribly underappreciated in this country)

I welcome any and all comments or suggestions as to what might be added to or altered in this dish.

 

Ingredients (for 2)

Red Pepper Polenta:

4 Piquillo peppers blended in food processor

185 g polenta

800 ml water

Fish Topping

3/4 lbs cod cheeks (or similar delicate whitefish)

1/4 cup all purpose flour

garlic powder

red pepper flakes (I recommend Merquén for its subtle, smokey character)

salt

freshly ground pepper

Sauce

2 Tbsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp Merquén pepper flakes

1/2 lemon juice

freshly chopped parsley

Arugula

 

Preparation:

Prepare the polenta per package instructions, but add the processed Piquillo peppers as well.

Pour into oiled  9"x14" shallow baking tray (I use a Lodge cast iron griddle).  Even out with a spatula.  Cover with a piece of parchment paper and use a plastic dough scraper to even out the polenta as much as possible.  Place in refrigerator for at least an hour.  You will get a nice 1/4" thick slab suitable for layering.

Dredge the fish in the flour and listed ingredients.  Set aside for about 15 minutes.  Gently pan fry in olive oil/butter.

In the meantime melt butter in small frying pan and gently sauté the garlic.  Off heat, add the pepper flakes, lemon juice and parsley.

Cut warmed polenta into whatever shape pleases you (I offset stacked 2 squares) and arrange on warmed plates.  Place the fish on top, then pour the sauce over it.  Adorn with strips of Piquillo  peppers.  Arrange the arugula around the polenta and serve.

I served this with a southern Rhône white wine.  This particular one was a blend of rousanne, marsanne, grenache blanc and macabeu.  Absolutely lovely.