Seared Haddock with Mushroom Agrodolce Sauce is nothing short of perfection.
Agrodolce is an Italian sauce which means sweet and sour combined. The onions cooked down (with button mushrooms) release their amazing sugars and then countered with a top notch Sherry vinegar. Sear up a beautiful white fish, like haddock, and you’ve got a dish that can’t be beat.
SEARED HADDOCK WITH MUSHROOM AGRODOLCE SAUCE IS BEAUTIFUL
Beside being so incredibly flavorful and satisfying on so many levels, the dish is beautiful in presentation, too.
As mentioned, agrocole is a sauce with Italian roots, and we just love it because it’s a glorious combination of sweet and sour.
It’s great with all kinds of proteins, and over pasta, but we think it pairs beautifully with a flaky white fish, such as haddock.
LEAVE THE MUSHROOMS WHOLE FOR A NICE TOUCH
In our dishes with sautéed mushrooms, we usually slice them. But leaving them whole for this Seared Haddock with Mushroom Agrodolce Sauce we think gives a wonderful texture to the dish, and adds to the beauty of the final plating.
I love doing this in my cast iron skillet so it’s truly stove to oven to table. Also, using my cast iron skillet allows me to sauté at the start of the cooking process, and then end it off in the oven.
Fresh herbs are always a wonderful addition to this dish.
We love fresh thyme. So good!
This recipe is perfect for serving on a weeknight, but also elegant enough, that it’s spectacular when entertaining. If this dish looks good, you’ll probably also flip for our Sautéed Wild Stripe Bass!
NOTE: Cod works wonderfully in this dish, too, and is typically is more budget-friendly than haddock.
Seared Haddock with Mushroom Agrodolce Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cipolline onions peeled
- 8 oz button white mushrooms, stems trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup good quality sherry vinegar
- 1 lb haddock cut into 4 individual fillets
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- Bring 2 cups water in a medium pan to a boil over high heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Drain.
- Remove skin from onions and cut off root end. Set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and mushrooms and a good pinch of salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, about 7 - 8 minutes.
- Add vinegar to skillet and cook for 1 minute, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits stuck to bottom of the skillet.
- Transfer onions, mushrooms, and pan juices to a bowl, and set aside.
- Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels and return to high heat.
- Rub haddock fillets with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- When skillet is very hot add fillets, skin side up, and sear until a good brown crust develops, about 3 minutes.
- Carefully turn cod skin side down, arrange reserved onions, mushrooms, and pan juices around fish, then scatter with fresh thyme.
- Place skillet in oven and roast until fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- Discard thyme.
- Serve on warmed plates and enjoy!
