By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor Published Jun 07, 2020 at 4:40 PM

Welcome to Quarantine Kitchen, a cooking show focused on easy recipes and tips you can execute in your home kitchen using basic ingredients and pantry staples. The show airs live on Facebook every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Tune in by heading to the OnMilwaukee Facebook page.  You can access past recipes and shows using this link.

This week on Quarantine Kitchen MKE, we're going to be shaking things up a bit. Rather than cooking solo, I'll be cooking alongside service industry veteran Joshua Wolter-Milton as he teaches me to make one of his new favorite recipes: roasted citrus and dill crusted cod.  We'll pair that up with a fresh Mediterranean-style melon salad.

During the episode, you can expect plenty of banter as we sip wine and recreate our own versions of this fresh, easy-to-prepare dish. 

In case you missed it, you can watch the episode below. If you watch, please note: we experienced a few technical difficulties today (our live video cut out every now and again); but we got through the entire recipe and had some good fun along the way.  Cheers!

Roasted citrus & dill crusted cod

This is a great alternative to a classic Friday fish fry or Sunday supper.
Recommended wine pairing: Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rosé
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 15-ounce cans of whole (new) potatoes, rinse and cut in half
6-10 sun dried tomatoes in oil
2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 T reserved oil from tomatoes
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
4 Atlantic cod or haddock filets (fresh or thawed) 
6 T good quality orange marmalade
2 tsp roasted garlic (the equivalent of two cloves)
2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 T dried dill
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
4 anchovies, packed in oil
1 T reserved oil from anchovies
Essential tools: roasting pan, food processor, wooden spoon 
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
  2. Halve and rinse new potatoes under cold water, drain them well and place them in a roasting pan. 
  3. Add sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, 1 tablespoon oil from tomatoes, 1 tablespoon (a healthy drizzle) of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt and couple cracks of pepper. Stir to combine.
  4. Place the potato mixture in the oven for 10-15 minutes. 
  5. In the bowl of food processor, add orange marmalade, salt, roasted garlic, chili flake, dill, anchovies, panko and reserved anchovy oil, pulse a few times until equally mixed. 
  6. Once the potato timer has gone off, take out of the oven, stir around, place filets of cod over potato mixture, top cod with breadcrumb mixture to your own liking. If you don't use all the breadcrumb mix, it can be frozen for later use on another protein. 
  7. Place back into the oven and roast for another 15-20 minutes, depending on how you like your fish cooked, up to 25 minutes for well done.  The crust should be crisp, crunchy and browned. 
This can be served family style or plated for guests individually. I like to serve with a side of roasted asparagus. 

Mediterranean cantaloupe & cucumber salad

Serves 4-6,  depending on the size of the melon.
3 T prepared za’atar (or make your own using the recipe below)
5 T olive oil, divided
1 small to medium cantaloupe
1/2 English cucumber
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pickled red onions (optional, see recipe below)
Handful of crushed pistachios
Za'atar
2 T toasted sesame seeds
1 T sumac
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 tsp fresh oregano
Pinch of salt
Essential tools: Sharp knife or mandolin, small whisk, spoons, large plate for serving
  1. Use a mandolin or knife to cut the cucumber lengthwise into 1/16" to 1/8" inch strips;  toss cucumber in a bowl with lime juice, 1 T olive of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
  2. Peel and clean the guts from the cantaloupe. Slice the melon into thin slices (representing crescent moons)
  3. Arrange both melon and marinated cucumber on a large plate. 
  4. For dressing, combine the 4 remaining tablespoons of olive oil with za'atar in a small bowl; mix vigorously to combine.
  5. Pour dressing over melon and cucumber and finish salad by topping with crumbled feta, pickled red onions, crushed pistachio and remaining one tablespoon of sesame seeds. 
You can also change the cut on the melon and cucumber and toss with all ingredients if heading to a picnic, or in my case, when I make this for a Brewers tailgate. 

Quick pickled red onions

1 red onion, sliced into rings or batons
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup white or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
  1. Pack the sliced onions into a small clean mason jar or other glass container. Tip: place a slice of pickled or canned beet in the bottom of the jar for a more vibrant color. 
  2. Bring water, vinegar and sugar to a boil, pour over onions, seal immediately and place in the fridge.
  3. Onions are ready once cooled, will last for weeks in the fridge and are a great addition to a variety of dishes.
Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor

As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.