Mediterranean Style Baked Cod
seafood, Mediterranean, one pot meals
This healthy Mediterranean style baked cod is easy, fast, and an incredibly healthy dinner perfect for any night of the week. It’s a combination of perfectly cooked, flaky and tender cod. The fish is served over a medley of colourful veggies. What I love about this dish is that it’s a roasted fish dish plus veggies all in one. Besides the convenience of a one pan meal, both the fish and the vegetables roast together mingling their flavours as they cook side by side producing some very delicious pan juices. The recipe calls for a firm white fish, such as striped bass, halibut, or hake fillets but salmon would also work beautifully with this dish.
This is a wonderful recipe from the Epic 30-Minute Meal Roasts book by Maja and Jernej Zver of Jernej Kitchen. I have been following their blog for quite a while and I just love all their work - their recipes, photos and especially their videos. They are a talented husband and wife duo and their book is just what every home cook needs. It’s the perfect inspiration for simple and quick roasts that are great for the midweek and delicious and fancy enough for Sunday lunch or dinner. We can all feel a little intimidated sometimes when it comes to roasting different types of meat or seafood and even certain veggies. They really help take the guess work out when it comes to roasting anything from appetizers to desserts in this book. The book features 100+ quick and easy recipes and is split up into various sections: a variety of meat sections including beef, lamb, poultry, pork and seafood where this tasty recipe comes from and of course a roasted veggie section along with sides and appetizers, brunch dishes, hands off sweet treats and essential sauces. Their recipes are simple to follow and so tasty and each dish is elevated further by a sauce recommendation.
I was so happy that they sent me a copy of their book and couldn’t wait to share one of their recipes on the blog - one I make a lot as we are a seafood loving family. This recipe includes pantry items that I always seem to have on hand along with the fresh ingredients in the recipe. This is what you will need to make this Mediterranean Style Baked cod:
- Cod fillets or any firm white fish like striped bass, halibut, or hake fillets but salmon would also work beautifully with this dish.
- A rtichoke hearts - I always used cooked canned ones but the jarred ones in oil are fine to use too
- Olives - I like to use Nyon ones or the black wrinkled ones but any ones you like would work pitted or not pitted
- Capers - gotta love them for the tangy brine
- Vegetables - an assortment - I usually go for cherry tomatoes and bell peppers
- Spices - salt and pepper, chili flakes and oregano or Italian seasoning is all I use but feel free to use whatever herb you like.
How to make Mediterranean Style-baked Cod:
Simply toss the veggies, olives and capers with the spices and olive oil, roast then add the seasoned cod and roast until its cooked through. Serve the cod with the wonderful pan juices, and veggies and then serve with a side of rice, potatoes or crusty bread to mop up the pan juices and enjoy. The book recommends serving this dish with a Gremolata sauce and I couldn’t agree more. It’s so good with the extra fresh flavours from the sauce. I also included the book’s recipe for the Gremolata sauce below. Enjoy and if you are looking for a little inspiration in the kitchen I recommend picking up this book. Make sure to check out their website where you can order your very one copy.
Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cod
- 1 lb (450 g) cherry tomatoes
- One 14 oz (398 ml) can or jar of cooked artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 yellow or Orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced
- 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup of black olives
- ¼ cup of capers
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 4 (½-lb / 220g) cod, halibut or hake fillets
For serving
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ground sumac
- Gremolata sauce
For the Gremolata sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat it to 450°F
- For the cod, in a medium size baking dish combine the tomatoes, artichokes, bell pepper, shallot, garlic, olives, and capers. Drizzle the veggies with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasoning with salt, pepper, chili flakes and oregano or Italian seasoning. Toss to combine and then roast on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes.
- Remove baking dish from the oven, and REDUCE temperature to 410°F. Season the cod with salt and pepper, and drizzle it with remaining oil. Place the fillets over the vegetables in the baking dish. Roast on middle rack of the oven for a further 10-12 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fish registers 125°F.
For the Gremolata Sauce (optional)
- In a small bowl, stir to combine the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the chili flakes and parsley.
- To serve, plate the fish and roasted vegetables, then sprinkle them with the parsley, lemon juice, and sumac. Top the fish with the Gremolata sauce if using.
