Fresh Alaska cod is available TOO EARLY FOR HALIBUT: "Amazing white fish fillets are a wonderful substitute."

The sun is getting higher in the sky and that means fishing season is around the corner, right?

Well, it’s still a while until Alaskans hear the cry of “Fish on!” However, Dannon Southall from 10th & M Seafoods has some good news.

“This is another exciting week for seafood,” he says. “With the days getting longer and warming up a little bit, people are starting to think halibut again. Well, we are still four weeks away from the opening of halibut.”

10th & M has fresh Alaska cod this week and Southall says “these amazing white fish fillets … are a wonderful substitute until the halibut season opens.”

The cod is $4.95 per pound.

Other seafood available includes fresh troll-caught king salmon from Southeast and whole yellow-eye rockfish. Add a little Southern touch with fresh catfish fillets ($8.95/pound), pan-ready catfish ($7.95/pound) and fingerling catfish ($7.95/pound).

Southall says they are taking pre-orders for live or fresh-boiled Louisiana crawfish in preparation for Mardi Gras season.

For home chefs looking to put the proper spin on their seafood, especially the Alaska seafood, the recently released “The Fishes & Dishes Cookbook” by Kiyo Marsh, Tomi Marsh and Laura Cooper is an awesome combination of recipes and tales.

While the book’s 80 recipes are enticing, the stories of women working the challenging Alaska commercial fishing grounds are equally interesting. The book is published by Epicenter Press and is $19.95. Included in this week’s column is a recipe from the book, Spanish-style cod with roasted tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.

Northway Mall farmers market

The items at the Northway Mall market (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays) will vary from week to week as the produce dips throughout the winter months, but there is still plenty available.

Highlights include:

• A.D. Farms: Produce includes purple carrots, Yukon gold potatoes, French fingerling potatoes, four varieties of beets, parsnips and kohlrabi. Alex Davis also has about 60 dozen fresh chicken eggs and plenty of pork products. “Some of the produce is giving it up,” he says. “Last week, I sold the last of the cabbage and the purple carrots won’t be far behind, maybe two more weeks of them and they are done. But on the flip side I will be fully loaded on the pork side.”

• Rempel Family Farm: The Rempels have carrots, parsnips, beets and seven varieties of potatoes available.

• Duane Clark: His offerings this week include sprouts, Matanuska Creamery products, grass-fed beef products (burger patties, tenderloin and stew meat), honey, popcorn and frozen Alaska seafood.

Spanish-style cod with roasted tomatoes, peppers, potatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sea salt, plus additional pinch

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional pinch

1 cup flour

1 pound cod fillets, about ½ inch thick

1 onion, sliced

½ fresh mild hot pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

2 small potatoes, ¼ inch slices

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup water

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup dry white wine

1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat the oven to 450 F.

Toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with a pinch of the salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes in a shallow baking pan and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turning once.

In a small bowl, season the flour with the remaining salt and pepper. Coat the cod fillets with the flour mixture and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and add the onion, hot pepper and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Turn the heat down to medium, add the bell pepper, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes to the skillet in a single layer, add the chicken broth and the water, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove the pan from the heat.

In another large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the butter over medium-high heat. Add the cod and cook on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the fillets over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Place the fish on a plate and keep warm.

Add the wine to the pan the cod was cooked in and deglaze the pan by scraping up all the browned bits, then pour the wine sauce into the pan with the onion-potato mixture. Place the cod fillets on top of the mixture and sprinkle with the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Cover and heat through for 1 to 2 minutes, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.