I've been making black beans lately. It's one of the things that I like to do in the fall when peppers in my garden are ripening. Although you can absolutely make them any time of the year with dried beans and any peppers of choice (or without peppers, if that's more your jam). I find it pretty easy to just take a couple cups of dried black beans, garlic, whatever peppers I have at the moment, and a smattering of every spice I think sounds good at the time (usually cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and bay leaves), and let it slow cook in the crock pot for 8 hours. This week I made Slow Cooker Black Beans w/ Red Ember Peppers, Sautéed Yukon Gold Potatoes w/ Red Ember Peppers, and Blackened Cod w/ Cumin, Coriander, & Smoked Paprika. Hence, the Salad w/ Blackened Cod, Black Beans, & Potatoes.
Am I Really Going to Call This a Salad?
I'm not a big lettuce fan. I'm not a huge fan of the taste of lettuce, the fibrous crunch of lettuce, the salad dressing is probably going to have more calories than the burger and fries, or the fact that Americans only seem to consume iceberg and romaine lettuce. Which, while slightly better, is still in the running for most boring lettuce of the year, every year. So, don't start with me on how this salad doesn't have lettuce. It doesn't have to have lettuce. Lettuce-based salads are boring. Plus, I can call this an appetizer if I really want to get fancy with this. Or just add some lettuce. Make the first layer boring arse lettuce. This is your food. You don't have to do what I do.
This is essentially a spicy fish fry with French fries and beans (because beans are delicious and I should not have to explain that) and avocados and lime go with everything. I should also not have to explain that. But name one thing that avocados and lime don't go well with. Toast. Eggs. Fish. Lasagna. Macaroni and cheese. Chips and crackers. Pickled herring with a balsamic reduction and mangoes. Don Julio with an extra lime.
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Variations of Blackened Cod Salad
All silliness aside, I wouldn't ordinarily opt for cod in a blackened cod salad. I'd typically pick out tilapia. Although, when you're in the mood for a seafood salad and tilapia is the best bang for your buck, here we are! Feel free to mix and match your own favorite seafood or what's the most readily available to you at the time. As well as whatever accouterment that sounds satisfying to you today.
Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the desired consistency is reached. I like to start the beans in the morning and then come back to then after work or before bed to wake up to freshly cooked beans.
Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Sauté Potatoes
Preheat a skillet on medium with a splash of olive oil.
Add all of the ingredients to the skillet. Stir to coat with oil. Cook covered for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned.
Blacken Cod
Let the fish rest until it reaches room temperature.
Preheat skillet on medium heat.
Mix the spices together in a small dish or bowl.
Sprinkle spice mix evenly over the fish. You can also lay them out across a plate and roll the fish in it. The goal is simply to evenly coat the fish with a thin layer of spices. As long as the flesh doesn't directly touch the skillet, you have enough seasoning.
Add fish, one or two fillets at a time, to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the spices have begun to blacken and the fish begins to firm.
Flip the fish and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until the spices have begun to blacken and the fish flakes with a fork.
If you have any question about whether your fish is cooked, official recommendations are to cook until an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point the cod, much like a salmon, will begin to fall apart at the fat junctions and "flake" off of a fork. When you've done it enough times, you start to notice this particular type of firmness when the pieces ever-so-slightly begin to separate.
Assemble Salad
Place black beans and potatoes in the center of a plate.
Add filet of cod and top with a dash of salt and pepper.
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