All this time, while we were busy staring blankly at the empty toilet paper shelves or nervously wondering where we could score our next bag of bread flour, many of us failed to notice the consistent line that had formed at the seafood counter.
As it turns out, all of those glorious loaves of sourdough bread being splashed around on social media are being served alongside an unseen grilled fillet of salmon or seared scallops.
While it may be getting second billing on the internet, seafood purchases are setting records at grocery stores all over the country. Year-over-year retail sales of both canned and frozen seafood were about 37% higher for the four weeks that ended April 19, according to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm.
Since going out to eat seafood was no longer an option for most of the country, people quickly pivoted to cooking it at home. For many, it may be for the first time, since seafood cookery has a reputation for being difficult to pull off successfully.
That reputation is largely undeserved, as most seafood recipes are easy and almost always quick to make, which, coincidently, perfectly describes this week's Herb-Roasted Cod With Potatoes and Tomatoes.
For this one-pan meal, potatoes are thinly sliced, seasoned with herbs, drizzled liberally with olive oil and given a head-start in the oven to brown, before thick cod fillets are placed on top, along with a scattering of cherry tomatoes, and the whole thing is finished with a few minutes more in the oven.
The result is flaky, moist fish and brightly flavored tomatoes, sitting on a bed of flavorful potatoes that have soaked up all the herb-infused juices in the dish. At my house, a cold glass of crisp, dry white wine and a crusty loaf of bread (sourdough is optional) finishes the meal.
So, go ahead and get in line, 6 feet apart, of course. The seafood dinner in your future is well worth the wait.
