Suzy Karadsheh's Sicilian-Vibe Cod

Roasted in a tomatoey, garlicky, onion-y sauce with capers and raisins, this simple cod dish, adapated from Suzy Karadsheh’s The Mediterranean Dish, has a distinctly Sicilian vibe. Super easy to put together, it’s quite delicious. Karadsheh’s cookbook was included in our roundup of Best New Cookbooks of 2022.

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

5 or 6 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups)

10 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons drained capers

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ pounds cod fillets (thawed, if frozen), cut into 4-ounce pieces

2 large lemons, 1 zested and juiced (about ¼ cup juice), 1 thinly sliced crosswise

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the red onion and cook, stirring regularly, until it begins to turn deep golden but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, raisins, capers, coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne, ½ teaspoon of salt and 10 or 15 grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 400 F. Pat the fish dry and season generously with salt (about ½ to ¾ teaspoon total) and black pepper. Pour half the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, and arrange the fish on top. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and drizzle with the lemon juice, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. Arrange the lemon slices over the top. Bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily, about 20 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.