All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Monday, January 16, 2012

fresh cod baked with tarragon, basil, white wine and rosemary





I couldn't believe my luck today when I came across just-came-in, super fresh cod in the seafood department at Shaw's. On a Monday? At a supermarket? Yes, yes, yes, to all. While I usually poach most fishes, I had just rediscovered an old seafood cookbook called "Simply Seafood", now out of print, sadly, but some second hand copies are wandering the Internet, with an interesting recipe for cod.

The recipe called for baking a thick slab of cod with lots of herbs, a little wine, butter, and mushrooms. How could I resist? When it was done cooking, I ate it in all of five minutes, such a treat. But I was left with quite a lot of juices and melted butter, so I'm thinking I could halve the butter, and probably the mushrooms, since they didn't seem to add much to the final dish. A quick squirt of fresh lemon juice over the fish did it for me - delicious!

To make:

1 pound of super fresh cod
2 T. melted butter
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 T. white wine or herb vinegar
1/4 t. basil ( dried is fine)
1/2 t. fresh rosemary
1/4 t. dried tarragon
salt and pepper to your taste

4 or 5 very thinly sliced lemon slices
2 sliced mushrooms
2 T. sliced green onions (scallions)
1-2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice


I made this in a toaster oven, as it was such a small amount of fish, though you can just as well bake it in an oven.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place fish on an ovenproof platter or dish. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the wine or vinegar, garlic, rosemary, tarragon, and basil, plus a little salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the fish.

Bake uncovered for around 15 minutes, pull out, and cover with the mushrooms, scallions, and lemon slices.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and return to oven, cooking for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve piping hot, along with some warm sourdough bread and a nice green salad.

Such a perfect dinner when it's 5 degrees outside, and ice and snow underfoot!

Enjoy!

You might also like my fish chowder, made with cod or pollock.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh that looks so good, Kat. I'd probably roast some baby potatoes and pour that sauce over them too! That sure made a beautiful plateful.

katrina said...

You know, Donna, I had room for the fish and that was about all! But yes, warm sourdough or potatoes would be lovely with this, as well as a perky salad and/or some brussels sprouts. Yum.
Thanks so much for taking a look, Madame ~

Marianne said...

What a feast!!! I will be on the lookout for fresh cod.

katrina said...

A feast it was, Marianne! It's so hard to find really fresh fish away from the seashore - I was surprised! Thanks, and enjoy!

Stash said...

Cod with tarragon. That is a combo I hadn't quite considered.

This one I will file for the future, since the vendors I usually buy from aren't going to be back from their winter break u ntil March. (It's Blue Moon Fish, at Union Square Greenmarket, here in New York City.)

Thank you, Kat.

katrina said...

Stash, tarragon & fish are such a classic combination - as long as you like tarragon! Lots of people don't like the taste, but I love it with fish - and eggs of any sort. What a dream to have the Greenmarket to shop at!

Barb said...

Oh that looks so delicious! I'm on the lookout for some fresh cod too. It's gluten-free, isn't it? Would your granddaughter eat this or she picky about fish?

By the way, your photos are beautiful - I always want to try what you post - it always looks yummy!

katrina said...

Thanks, Barb! Yes, fish is gluten-free, and last I knew, Izzie still loved it. She used to be mad about sushi as a toddler - isn't that something?
Thanks for your very kind words about the photos - which were taken at night, and not the best light. Hope you find your fresh fish!

kellypea said...

This looks so delicious! Isn't it great to happen onto something like that? Love the ingredients list and the quick prep ;)

katrina said...

Thanks, Kelly! Loved happening across that recipe! One of the great joys of fishery cookery ( besides happening across some really fresh fish), is knowing your recipe rarely takes longer than a half hour:) More than that, and you know you've ruined dinner.