Parmesan Baked Cod

The tasty fish recipe of the week is this wonderful baked cod. It was so good that I was sorry I had only made one piece for myself because I quite easily could’ve eaten two. This recipe will not work with dried herbs, so don’t even think about it. It’s fresh herbs, or nothing. In the doing, and following the instructions carefully, this is company worthy.

Parmesan Baked Cod

Adapted from laurenslatest.com

 2 cod fillets

¼ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan

 2 T. minced fresh flat leaf parsley

 2 T. minced fresh basil

 1 clove garlic, grated

 Sea salt to taste

 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A whisper of Old Bay

  Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place fish fillets onto the prepared baking sheet; set aside.

In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, cheese, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined. Spread evenly over the top of the fillets. Sprinkle lightly with Old Bay.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until fish starts looking opaque and flakes.

Switch oven to broiler and brown the tops of the fish until lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully so it doesn't burn.

 Remove from oven and serve warm with wedges of lemon.

Serves 2

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Poached Salmon with Capers and Lemon Butter

 

The more I experiment with different types of fish and fish recipes, the more I have come to realize that you can get dinner on the table faster with fish than with anything else. This took me 15 minutes. I wasn’t quite sure that I was going to like it, but it was delicious! The salmon was so tender, and the sauce was absolute perfection.

Poached Salmon with Capers and Lemon Butter

 2 T. butter, divided

1 small clove garlic, minced

½ c. chicken stock

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 4-oz. fillet of salmon

2 T. capers

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 1 T. chopped fresh parsley

Melt 1 T. butter in a medium skillet. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Add chicken stock and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place salmon fillets in pan. Cover and simmer over low heat, 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Remove salmon to a warm plate and tent with foil while you make the sauce.

Boil remaining liquid in the skillet until it is reduced to approximately 1/4 cup. Whisk remaining 1 T. butter and stir in capers. Spoon sauce over fish. Season with pepper and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves one, recipe may be doubled.

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Pecan Crusted Salmon

When the late Mr. O-P and I were living in Connecticut while we were working at Yale, we had the opportunity to try a lot of different ethnic restaurants, one of which was an African restaurant, Eritrean food specifically. I have to say it didn’t wow me. The bread was like a thick placemat in both appearance and taste. I had ordered pistachio-crusted salmon that was so insipid that it didn’t even taste like salmon.  The idea of nut-crusted salmon, however, appealed to me. The other day when I was chopping pecans, I decided to chop a few more to use on top of salmon for dinner. It was a wonderfully flavorful dish.

Pecan Crusted Salmon

 ¼ c. butter, melted

3 T. Dijon mustard

1½ T. honey

¼ c. panko

1/3 c. finely chopped pecans

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

4 (4-oz.) fillets salmon

Salt, to taste

 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  Pat salmon dry, place on baking sheet that has been lined with a piece of parchment or foil.

 Stir together butter, mustard, and honey in a small bowl;

set aside. Mix together panko, pecans, and parsley in another bowl.

Brush each salmon fillet lightly with the honey mustard mixture.

Generously coat the tops of fillets with panko/pecan mixture.

Bake salmon in the preheated oven until it flakes easily with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

 * I used Mike’s hot honey

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Mustard and Bourbon Glazed Salmon

 

I’ve been cooking with bourbon lately, using it recently to plump raisins for oatmeal raisin cookies, then to plump raisins to include in pumpkin muffins, so I decided to give it a try on salmon. This week’s fish dish is a wonderful fillet of Coho salmon glazed with this mustard bourbon sauce and baked. It is flavorful and delicious, company worthy, and nothing could be easier.Mustard and Bourbon Glazed Salmon

 2 T. Maille Old Style mustard*

1 T. dark brown sugar

1 T. bourbon

1/8 t. grated Melissa’s fresh ginger

Salt and pepper

2 Coho salmon fillets

 Preheat oven to 400°F. Put a piece of heavy-duty foil on top of a baking sheet and spray with PAM; set aside.

In a small bowl mix together mustard, brown sugar, bourbon, and ginger. Salt and pepper salmon fillets. Place skin side down on prepared baking sheet, and slather the tops with the mustard/brown sugar/bourbon glaze. Slide onto the top rack of your oven, and roast for 12 to 15 until the fish flakes nicely. Serve immediately.

 Serves 2.

*This is the brand that I use. You can use the brand of your choice, just as long as you select mustard that is heavily laden with mustard seeds.

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Cajun Cod

 

This week’s fish dish employs the use of Pacific cod, and is, honestly, my first cod experience. It certainly won’t be my last. The thing I have come to realize about making fish is that it is unbelievably easy, and takes so little time. The hardest part is remembering to take it out of the freezer the night before so that it is thawed and ready for the next day.

 This is a delicious way to bake cod. It is so flavorful, and very attractive on the plate. I served mine with basmati rice and peas.

Cajun Cod

 3 Pacific cod fillets

Salt and pepper

¼ c. butter, melted

1 T. olive oil

1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic

  1 T. Slap Ya Mama

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle both sides of the cod fillets with salt and pepper, and place into the bottom of a 1½-qt. baking dish.

 In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter, olive oil, garlic, and Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning. Spread evenly over the fish.

 Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

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Panko-encrusted Salmon with Fresh Herbs

 

Considering that, prior to my ordering from Wild Alaskan Company, I had relatively little experience in preparing fish, I feel as though I am becoming quite the pro. This week I decided to bake salmon crusted with Panko and herbs, and really loved it. A butter sauce would probably have been a nice addition, but I didn’t need it.Panko-encrusted Salmon with Fresh Herbs

2 T. unsalted butter

½ T. freshly squeezed lime juice

½ T. freshly grated lime zest

½ t. Old Bay seasoning

1 c. Panko breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ c. fresh parsley leaves, minced

¼ c. fresh basil leaves, minced

2 8-oz. fillets coho salmon

 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat; set aside.

 Melt butter in a 10” skillet over moderate heat. Stir in lime juice, zest, Old Bay, panko, and garlic. Sauté mixture over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until panko is crisp and golden. Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and basil.

 Season salmon with salt and pepper and coat all sides evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Place salmon on prepared baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until just cooked through.

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Pan-Seared Rockfish with Capers and Lemon Butter

 

I decided to try something new from my Wild Alaskan box so chose Pacific rockfish. This is so new to me that not only had I never had rockfish before, I honestly hadn’t heard of it. In case you are as unfamiliar as I, rockfish is a mild whitefish that is somewhere between cod and halibut. It has a flaky texture and a mild flavor, it is perfect when fried, broiled, grilled, or pan sautéed. It is also known as Pacific ocean perch, rose fish, red bream, or red perch.

 I found this recipe on the askchefdennis.com website that looked perfectly doable and decided to give it a try. It was very good. It didn’t blow me over the way the halibut and salmon did, but it was still a lovely entrée. This is a dish that cooks up fairly rapidly, so this is one of those times when mise en place is necessary.

Pan-Seared Rockfish with Capers and Lemon Butter

Slightly adapted from askchefdennis.com

Rockfish

14 oz. rockfish (2 fillets)

¼ c. flour

1 t. sea salt

½ t. black pepper

1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

Lemon Butter Sauce

1 T. finely chopped Melissa’s shallots

1 T. capers

1 T. butter

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1-2 ounces white wine

1 T. butter

1 t. flour to roll butter in

Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish

 Preheat oven to 250° F. Get a baking sheet handy; set aside.  
Pat rockfish fillets dry with paper towels and season them liberally with sea salt and black pepper.

Dredge the rockfish fillets in flour, getting a good coating on both sides.

 In a large sauté pan add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat over medium-high until the butter is melted and sizzling, but don’t allow the butter to brown. Lower the heat to medium.

Place the floured rockfish into the hot pan, cooking on the first side for 3-4 minutes. (Don’t be tempted to turn it over too soon, you want that delicious crunch and golden brown color that comes from not moving the fillets around.)

Turn the rockfish over and continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes. When the pan-seared rockfish is fully cooked, place it on the baking sheet and pop it into your preheated oven while you make the lemon caper sauce.

 In a small sauté pan over medium heat place 1 T. butter, shallots, and capers. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and white wine to the pan. When the liquids are hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter rolled in flour (Beurre manié) to the pan. This will thicken the sauce.

Pour the lemon caper sauce over the pan-seared rockfish. 
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.