Cornmeal-crusted cod with beurre blanc and slow-cooked sweet peppers

One Friday night after a very long week at work I wanted to treat myself to a sinfully rich meal. I decided to make beurre blanc, a classic French butter-based sauce made from a reduction of dry white wine, vinegar and shallots, using Cordon Bleu's official recipe. I'd read about cornmeal-crusted pan-fried fish earlier in the week, so I substituted that for my usual flour coating. I topped the fish with leftover slow-cooked sweet peppers for colour and flavour. It was a terrific way to kick off the weekend.

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To make the fish:

Pat dry 2 fillets of cod and dredge them in cornmeal before pan-frying in olive oil over medium-high heat (about 4-5 minutes per side). 

To make the sautéed sweet peppers:

Click here for the recipe.

To make the sauce:

Combine 1/4 cup dry white wine, 2T white wine vinegar and 1 finely diced shallot in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce until about 2T of liquid remains. While the liquid is reducing, cut 1 cup of cold butter into small cubes. 

Once the liquid is reduced, add the butter cubes in batches, whisking vigorously. Season to taste. Strain out the shallots using a fine-mesh sieve (optional). 

To serve: 

Spoon the beurre blanc onto the plate, then add the fish. Top with a drizzle of lemon juice, a spoonful of the sweet peppers and a sprinkle of minced chives.