Baked Cod with a Parmesan and Parsley Crust

Create a sophisticated meal under 30 minutes. Cooking cod is very easy and satisfying!

When I just settled down in the UK I couldn’t help but find menus in stylish restaurants a bit pompous. Who cares whether a duck is a Gressingham one, the scallops from Isle of Man and the pork is Gloucestershire Old Spot? It all just sounded pretentious and an excuse to push up the prices just a wee bit more.

Recently I was offered Skrei cod and I couldn’t help but think this is just another public relations exercise for an average piece of cod. Boy, was I wrong. The fillets are long, with glistening white flesh; meaty and thick. Raw, it’s wonderful in a ceviche, and cooked it literally falls apart with a touch of a fork.

More interesting tidbits about this fish:

The fish is approximately 5 years old when it is line caught.

Quality is paramount and only fish with perfect skin, i.e. no imperfections or injuries, have the SKREI® brand fastened to the forward dorsal fin. Twenty five years ago the civilised Norwegians have banned discarding, so no fish is wasted.

It is packaged within 12 hours of being caught and stored on ice at a temperature between 0° and 4° Celsius.

There are obvious fat lines between the flakes of muscle and as soon as it’s cooked the whole delicacy becomes melt in the mouth.

So next time you see Skrei on the menu, only available between January and April, you should start quivering with excitement like a dog whose mistress’ just dropped the roasted leg of lamb on the floor. That’s an order.

Lastly, my local butcher made away with his Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs because the sows don’t care whether they’re lying on their piglets, ignoring their dying squeals. The last time my exorbitant Isle of Man scallops were freakishly small albeit flavoursome. Gressingham duck’s quality took a nosedive. So take heed, continue reading menus with a pinch of salt.

Another noteworthy blogger to follow is Anne from Anne’s Kitchen She’s got an impressive array of boards to follow too.

Right, let’s get cooking!

Adjusting the recipe for Special Diets

There are only five ingredients used in this recipe. One of them is white bread but feel free to use wheat/gluten free bread if you’re intolerant. Cod is high in protein and low in cholesterol. It is also ideal to serve to diabetics, granted you don’t pimp it up too much. Kids love it too – it’s a step up from fish fingers!

Next up, add the bread and parsley…

… and don’t forget the Parmesan.

Give it a whizz in the food processor.

Add the melted butter and give it one more whizz. The breadcrumb mixture will almost resemble couscous now.

I used Lakeland’s Stick Blender which left me majorly impressed with the product. You can feel the sheer power of the motor at the touch of a button and this mix was ready within a matter of seconds. It comes with a handy storage bag and other snazzy attachments.

Wash and dry your fish fillets and place them on the baking tray.

Season them.

Now for the fun part. Coat the fillets with the crumbs. Try and coat the fillets with as thick layers of crumbs as possible. When they’re cooked, the cod will have an fantastic crunchy crust. Place them in the preheated oven and cook. Thicker fillets will take a few minutes extra to cook. Test it with a fork. If the flakes are opaque and give way under little pressure it means it’s cooked. If the flesh remains intact you’ve got to bake it for just a little bit longer.

And that is all there is to this recipe. Simple!

What can you serve with Baked Cod?

In the summer you can typically serve fish with a salad, such as coleslaw or a green, leafy one. In the winter, or if you fancy a complete hot meal roasted potatoes, rice, creamed spinach, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potato and roasted tomatoes will work. Obviously not all together!

Looking for more fish inspiration? Here’s what other bloggers came up with:

Baked Cod with a Parmesan and Parsley Crust

Author: Michelle Minnaar

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 207.8g

Calories: 278

• Fat: 8.2g
• Saturated fat: 4g
• Unsaturated fat: 0
• Trans fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 10.5g
• Sugar: 0.6g
• Sodium: 238mg
• Fiber: 0.4g
• Protein: 35.3g
• Cholesterol: 18mg
• Recipe type: Main Course
• Cuisine: British
• Prep time: 5 mins
• Cook time: 10 mins
• Total time: 15 mins
• An easy mid-week dinner which is ready under 30 minutes.
• Ingredients
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 55g (2 oz) Parmesan, grated
• 15g (½ oz) butter, melted
• 4 x 175g (6 oz) cod fillets

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Place bread, parsley and cheese in a blender and process until the mixture is crumbly.

Add the melted butter to the mixture and give it another whizz.

Season the fish then spread the crumb mixture on top.

Bake cod for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. Thicker fillets will need a few more minutes to cook.

Serve immediately.

Notes

Serve with new potatoes and a green, leafy salad.

3.2.1753

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