I love fresh cod. In Canada we hardly ever ate Cod unless it was salted, because it was known to be a somewhat wormy fish. Haddock was considered the prize. Over here in the UK, the Cod is beautiful.
Up until recently most of our sustainable cod has been coming from Iceland, Norway and Russia. A recovery from near total collapse has led North Sea cod stocks to be labelled as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council for the first time in 20 years, so we are now able to enjoy this lovely fish without guilt!
Of course we are really fond of our fish battered and fried . . . but that is a rare treat as it is none too healthy for you with all of that fat and the frying and all, nowadays I am more than likely to poach it and serve it with a parsley sauce, or simply pan fry it in a tiny bit of butter and herbs.
Today however I topped our fish with a delicious mix of bread crumbs, lemon and herbs and baked it until it was perfectly cooked and just flaking with the tines of a fork. It tastes somewhat indulgent, but it is actually quite healthy!
*Herb Crusted Cod*
Serves 4A simple manner of cooking your fish, which is healthier than frying and quite delicious with a beautiful mix of herbs, lemon zest and garlic. This is fabulous! I serve with mash and a vegetable on the side.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F gas mark 7. Lightly butter a baking tray large enough to hold your fish in one layer with plenty of space between the fillets.
Wipe your fish and pat dry. Place onto the baking tray and season to taste with black pepper and fine sea salt. Mix together the bread or cracker crumbs, garlic, lemon zest and fresh herbs. Season well with salt and black pepper. Add the butter and mix all together with your fingers to combine. Divide the mixture amongst the fillets and press them down to help them adhere to the fish.
Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.
We bought our fish at Costco. You can get really nice fish fillets there for a very reasonable price, and yes, sustainable. With some mashed potatoes, and a variety of vegetables, we both enjoyed this very much. Bon appetit!
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