you can only commend someone not something. If you do commend someone, you speak favourably of them or express your approval of or admiration for them, e.g. She was highly commended for her organizational skills.
You can recommend someone or something. If you recommend something, you praise it as being good for a purpose. If you recommend someone you provide information about someone good, e.g. They recommended her for the job
Recommend can also mean advise or suggest as a correct or suitable course of action, e.g. He recommends wearing safety hats on the site.