Baked Cod

andy · 03-22-2010, 07:33 PM

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Baked Cod

I said earlier that I used to work in a big, fast paced resaurant that frequently had as long as a 5 hour waiting line. Anyway....

I worked a lot of regular day shifts. I would get there at around 7:30 AM, drink coffee till 8:00 AM and then clock in. The day started with prep work like breading shrimp (which was my downfall) or washing potatos, or punching the cores out of lettuce, whatever. PREP.

The lunch rush came and went. Thuresdays were a little special. The weekly Managers meeting was on Thuresdays. I made this killer simple baked cod dish. Real simple!

1 pound of fresh cod of moderate thickness. Not fat - not thin, but as consistant as possible.
1 cup crushed restaurant quality seasoned croutons
1 bunch clarified butter

I used an industrial restaurant pressure steamer, but all you need is an oven and aluminum foil. Put the filet on a sheet of aluminum foil (shiny side in), and place on a small, shallow cookie sheet style of baking pan. Wrap the filet up fairly tight. Use no more than a single layer of foil. Steam - I should say bake(!) the fish at around 350 for about 20 minutes. Open the pouch and test that the fish "flakes" easily. Expose the filet, open it up, but dont remove the bottom foil. Pour on the crushed, seasoned, restaurant croutons - it's OK to overdo the croutons. Drizzle enough butter on top to make you feel really guilty! BROIL within a few inches of the flame(or element) till browned!

Knock yourself out!

This dish was outlawed by the Management. BUS101 - dont make something SO good that people get pissed off when they dont get it at other restaurants of the chain. Only the Managers were allowed to have it.

blue gecko · 03-22-2010, 07:53 PM

My experience with cod can be summed up in that there is good cold water cod and there is its warmer water cousin. Alaskan or similar "artic" cold water, deep sea cod is wonderful and a true treat. It's warmer water cousins leave a lot to be desired...bootleather comes to mind.

Your recipe sounds lovely, andy.

andy · 03-22-2010, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue gecko

My experience with cod can be summed up in that there is good cold water cod and there is its warmer water cousin. Alaskan or similar "artic" cold water, deep sea cod is wonderful and a true treat. It's warmer water cousins leave a lot to be desired...bootleather comes to mind.

Your recipe sounds lovely, andy.

The last time I made this dish (and I've made it a hundred times), it was not as flakey. I bought fresh.... from Publix!. It didn't have the magic?!

andy · 03-22-2010, 08:00 PM

andy · 03-22-2010, 08:01 PM

Riley · 05-07-2010, 04:49 PM

I saw this thread a few weeks ago and decided I had to make this. I didn't actually get around to doing it until last night. We loved it!!! It was so good we will definitely be having this again. Thanks!

lilly · 05-07-2010, 04:52 PM

Had cod at the fish restaurant. Cod over artichoke hearts and tomato, great Alaskan cod, nice buttery rice to squish around the sauce, nice green beans and pretty carrots. Very good looking presentation. especially the carrots and beans.

Chef came by to see how I liked it. Said the carrots were too raw, and maybe a bit too many artichoke hearts, otherwise excellent.

He sent over a complimentary dense chocolate cake dessert. I think it was flourless.

Mentioned they had eliminated my favorite lunch, and he said just ask for it and he would fix it for me.

Samen · 05-07-2010, 05:09 PM

I love cod.

Never new there was a difference between cold and warm water cod, only had cold water so far.

To me the only way to have cod is warm smoked or fried and if it not caught and fileid by me its not woth smoking or frying, the only exception being i buy it straigh of a fish boat that hasent been out for more than 10 hours, I call that second cuality cod but still eatable.

Cod is a fish that has to be fileid within 5 minutes of capture and prepared to eat within 2 hours of capture, the hour and 55 minutes in between must be on ice, no exception for class one.

Ought Six · 05-07-2010, 07:16 PM

Try this one. Get some nice, fresh, large cod fillets. Caramelize some sliced-up large sweet onions; one per fillet. Mix the onions with a generous amount of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of white wine, and a little Dijon mustard. Add a very small pinch of garlic powder, and black pepper to taste. Mix it into a thick paste. Place the fillets in a shallow baking dish. Cover them entirely with a thick layer of the paste. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Use a probe-type digital thermometer to determine when the interior of the fish has reached the right temperature. This recipe works with all kinds of white fish.

This dish is not as fattening as it sounds. Mayonnaise is mostly eggs and vegetable oil. When the fish bakes, the oil is cooked out of the mayonnaise, leaving a sort of a caramelized onion and egg crust on the fish. This locks in the moisture and prevents the fish from drying out, as well as imparting flavor to the fillets.

This is an excellent cooking method, and you can experiment with other types of fish, as well as other flavorings, spices, herbs and aromatics in the mayo paste. Chopped shallots work nicely in place of the onions, with a little dill. I enjoy that one on salmon. Cumin, a pinch of cayenne, finely julienned serrano peppers and caramelized yellow onions make a nice spicy coating for stronger-flavored fish. You can add just about anything you wish.

occupant · 05-07-2010, 10:20 PM

Costco has a lovely frozen Panko breaded Cod. Approx 15 fillets to a box by Trident, I believe.They come out nicely baked in the oven. There are no fresh fish markets out here in the boonies, so these do quite well.I became terribly ill from supermarket "fresh fish" once so I will not buy from one of those stores again.Thanx for the tips, and I surely didn't know there were warm water cod fish either.