Herby Baked Cod With Tomato and Breadcrumbs

Plain cod is all very well, but I like giving it a bit more flavour. This herby baked cod has parsley, garlic, chilli and tomatoes in the sauce, with breadcrumbs sprinkled over towards the end. It’s very little work for a much more interesting dinner.

My Herby Baked Cod Recipe

We served ours with mashed potatoes, green beans and broccoli. Rice would be lovely too, or you could use whatever vegetables need eating. Mange tout, baby sweetcorn and little carrots would all be good alongside it.

The recipe serves two. The oven timing is a guide, because a thick cod loin will need longer than a thin fillet. Have a look at the fish itself before deciding it’s ready.

Ingredients

• 2 cod fillets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50ml stock
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
• 1 chilli, or less to taste
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 slice of white bread

Method

1. Heat the oven to 170°C conventional or 160°C fan. Toast the bread and blitz it in a food processor to make crumbs. Put them aside.
2. Blend the oil, stock, garlic, parsley, chilli and tomatoes to make the sauce.
3. Pat the cod dry with kitchen paper and put it in a suitable baking dish. There’s no need to wash the raw fish. Pour the sauce over it.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Return to the oven for about 6 minutes more.
5. Check the thickest part before serving: the flesh should be opaque and separate easily into flakes. Cook a little longer if needed. Serve straight away.

A Note On The Breadcrumbs

I make mine from toast, which saves waiting for bread to go stale. Keep them separate while you blend the sauce or you’ll lose the topping. They only go onto the fish for the final part of cooking.

How Much Chilli?

One chilli is what I used. That doesn’t tell you much about heat, though, does it? A mild one and a tiny fiery one can be worlds apart. Start with less if you’re unsure, especially if you’re cooking for someone who isn’t keen on spice.

What Goes With Baked Cod?

Mashed potatoes catch the tomato sauce nicely, which is why we went for them. If potatoes aren’t your thing, try rice or some crusty bread and vegetables. I wouldn’t want to leave the sauce behind.

For another simple dinner, have a look at my piri piri chicken salad. All my food and drink posts are here.

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