Fresh (well, OK, frozen) cod fillets sounded like a good thing for dinner, but then there was the question of how to cook ’em?
I found a nice looking recipe for fish cakes that didn’t call for too much flour, but it was beginning to look a bit fussy…
Then, I came across a recipe for oven-fried cod that looked promising, but what was the story with ‘oven-fried’ and then calling for crisping in hot oil in a skillet before finishing in the oven for a minute? I think not.
However, as it happens, a decently spiced breading of corn meal and crushed corn flakes a dip in some lightly beaten egg, and 15 minutes on a rack in a very hot oven will give you surprisingly tasty results. The only mistake I made was in my choice of sauce. My tartar sauce is a very good thing; but I really shoulda gone with a rémoulade.
INGREDIENTS
•3/4 cup crushed corn flakes
•3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
•1 tsp salt
•1/4 tsp Cayenne
•Cod – I had 3 pieces totaling about a pound
•2 large eggs, lightly beaten
•Salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 500º, line a baking pan with foil, then place a rack in the pan and apply a bit of cooking spray.
Combine the corn flakes, cornmeal, salt, and Cayenne in a large zipper bag and toss to mix well. I also gave mine a good whack! or three with a rolling pin too really pulverize those corn flake crumbs.
Season the cod on both sides with salt and pepper, then drop one piece at a time into the bag of seasoned cornmeal and flakes.
Shake to coat well, then transfer to a plate or bowl and repeat with the remaining cod.
Dip a piece of cod in the beaten eggs, then drop back into the bag of cornmeal and flakes and shake to coat well.
Arrange on the rack in the baking pan and repeat with the remaining cod.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.
We had ours with summer squash carpaccioand garlic smashed cauliflower on the side.
Oh, and tartar sauce; which was nice, but then I got to thinking about malt vinegar and that rémoulade…
Oh well, next time.