cod en mole poblano
When my friend and former colleague put out an inquiry on social media about whether anyone in her network knew someone who would be interested in developing some recipes for Legal Sea Foods for Cinco de Mayo, I couldn’t resist throwing my hat in the ring. I resist the urge to multi-lingual pun and say “sombrero,” but that’d be too güera, demaciada gringa. Even for me. Some day, I’ll sit down and write out everything I love about Mexico, Mexican culture, Mexican people, Mexican-Americans, and all that, but suffice it to say, I really wanted to develop some recipes accessible to any home chef that brought home the flavors of Puebla for Cinco de Mayo.
It’s not, as many Americans believe, “Mexican Independence Day.” You’d hardly know that here in the “Greater Chicagoland Area,” as so many families here immigrated from Puebla or the surrounding area. It’s a Puebla holiday, commemorating the Battle of Puebla in 1862 against the Second French Empire, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. I talked with friends and worked to thoughtfully put together recipes that not only highlighted the incredible seafood products from Legal Sea Foods, but also incorporated the regional flavors of Puebla.
Cod en Mole Poblano
Ingredients
- 4 center cut cod loins
- 1 cup jarred mole polano or rojo sauce
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 oz dark chocolate
- 1 T almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Sesame seeds
- Olive oil
- White onion/cilantro to garnish
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine mole paste with chicken stock in a pot over medium heat.
- Add dark chocolate and nut butter, adding salt and/or sugar to taste.
- Pat cod filets dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a fry pan over medium heat.
- Add olive oil to the hot pan and sear cod about 2-3 minutes on the first side or until browned, flip over and continue to cook until cod is just starting to flake, it will continue to cook once you take it off the heat. Remove cod fillets to serving plates.
- Top cod with mole and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Garnish with white onion and/or cilantro. Serve with traditional red rice and/or black beans.
