Black Cod with Honey and Dill with Rice Vermicelli

Rasika was one of our absolute favorite restaurants in Washington DC. We would go there with our friends whenever we had a special occasion, and all would go ga-ga over Rasika's flash-fried spinach dish. When I saw that Rasika was coming out with their first cookbook this year, I knew I had to get it for Seamus for Christmas.

As you know from following this blog, Seamus is an adventurous cook. After perusing the Rasika cookbook, he found this Black Cod dish with cheddar cheese in the marinade (wah?!), and decided he wanted it to be the first try from his new cook book! We are lucky to live in Seattle where we can get great fresh fish, so we went to Mutual Fish and found some gorgeous black cod for this recipe.

Now that I am in my last week of my second trimester, I am enjoying Seamus's cooking more than ever; I hope nothing changes when our little baby comes!

Black Cod with Honey and Dill 

Courtesy of Rasika: Flavors of India by Vikram Sunderam

Ingredients

Cod
Four 5 ounce chunks of black cod, skin on, at least 1 inch thick
1 cup red wine vinegar
8 whole star anise
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tablespoon salt

Marinade
3/4 cup finely shredded mild white cheddar cheese
1.4 cup whole-milk yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic paster
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon deggi mirch
1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill fronds
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Season the Cod: In a large bowl, combine the cod, vinegar, star anise, fennel seeds, ginger-garlic paste, and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Make the Marinade: In a large bowl, whisk the cheddar, yogurt, cream, ginger-garlic paste, honey, deggi mirch, dill, and salt until thick and fluffy.

3. Transfer the cod, along with the star anise and whatever fennel seeds are attached, to the marinade and coat the pieces well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. (discard the vinegar.).

4. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a small baking sheet with foil and place the cod fillets on it, skin side down. Top each one with a star anise. It's fine that there is a lot of marinade on the fish. Bake until the fish is browned on the edges and feels set but soft, like custard, when you poke it with your finger, 15-17 minutes.

5. Serve with  rice vermicelli.

Rice Vermicelli with Dill and Green Chilies 

Ingredients
1/2 pound rice vermicelli
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh Thai green chili
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and submerge the vermicelli to soften them, 3-4 minutes. Drain the noodles, return them to the pot, and keep covered.

2. In a skillet, heat the butter over medium heat until it sizzles. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the green chili, ginger, turmeric, and salt. Cook for 30 seconds and fold into the noodles. Fold in the dill and serve.