Seafood › Bacon-Wrapped Cod with Smoky Mussels

Serves 2

Bacon-Wrapped Cod

• 2 cod fillets, 4-6 oz each
• 8 strips hickory-smoked bacon (4 strips each serving)
• canola oil
• salt & pepper

Smoky Mussels

• 1 lb mussels
• ⅓ bottle Schlenkerla Rauchbier beer (a smoky tasting beer)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• leaves from 5 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, chopped & blanched
• canola oil
• 1 cup water
• salt & pepper to taste

Broccolini

• 3 stalks broccolini
• canola oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste
• tomatoes

Prepare & Cook the Cod

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Season each cod fillet with salt and pepper
3. Wrap 4 strips of bacon around each cod fillet, overlapping the bacon
4. Add a little canola oil to a heated pan
5. Take pan off heat, add cod and cook over medium flame
6. Give the cod a press and let cook
7. Baste cod with butter
8. Add shallots and 1 sprig of thyme
9. Bake cod or 12-15 minutes; at 12-15 minutes, turn cod and baste
10. Cook cod an additional 8 minutes or until cod measures 140-145º with an instant-read thermometer

Steam the Mussels

1. Add a little canola oil to a pot
2. In a separate pot add shallots and garlic and let sweat
3. Add beer off the flame, return pot to heat, and let come to a boil
4. Add leaves from 5 sprigs of thyme
5. Add mussels, tomatoes and potatoes
6. Add salt and pepper to taste
7. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes (mussels should be open; discard ones that aren't)

Saute & Steam the Broccolini

1. Add a little canola oil to hot pan
2. Add broccolini, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
3. Take pan off flame, add 1 cup water
4. Let steam subside for a few seconds, add tomatoes and a bit more oil, cover until ready to plate

The Finished Product

1. Pour mussels into a bowl and add crusty bread
2. Plate the broccolini and tomatoes
3. Remove cod from oven, baste one last time (bacon should be crispy) and place on bed of broccolini and tomatoes