The light breaded cod soft inside with crunchy crust outside reminds me of my grandma’s fried battered cod.
Cod is salted preserved cod, it needs to be desalted and soaked before cooking.
Consider 48 hours of soaking or, alternatively, buy already soaked cod.
With soaking, the weight of the fish can increase up to 3-4 times.
Remember not to add salt to the preparation.
Cod is low-calorie but should not be consumed too often due to its cholesterol and sodium content.
To bread my cod fillets, I used semolina and made it adhere with an emulsion of lemon juice and very little oil.
Don’t forget to count the breading when calculating the total carbohydrates of your meal.
Oven or air fryer cooking.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Days
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- cod (to be soaked)
- to taste stone-ground durum wheat semolina (or whole semolina)
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- to taste lemon juice
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- to taste chopped parsley
Suggested Tools
- 1 Baking sheet 10×11 inches
- Parchment paper
- 1 Spatula for lasagna
Preparation
• Cut the cod into fillets;
• Rinse the fillets;
• Soak them in cold water for 48 hours;
• Change the water at least 3 times or better every 8 hours;
• Remove the skin;
• Remove most of the bones.In a flat plate, pour:
• Semolina or whole semolina;
• Pepper;
and mix.In a deep plate, pour:
• Lemon juice;
• A drizzle of oil;
and emulsify.Line a baking sheet* with a sheet of parchment paper.
*Wide, breaded cod fillets should not be stacked.One at a time, first dip the cod fillets in the emulsion then coat them in the semolina, making it adhere well on all sides, and place them on the baking sheet in a single layer avoiding stacking.
Drizzle the breaded cod fillets with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Briefly preheat the oven.
• Bake at 356°F for 10 minutes;
• Turn the cod fillets gently using a lasagna spatula, if the breading comes off don’t worry and put it back on the fillets;
• Drizzle with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil;
• Bake at 356°F for another 10 minutes;
• Move the baking sheet to the top part of the oven and continue for 5 minutes with the grill function.
Total = 20 minutes + 5 minutes grill function.Remove the cod fillets gently using a lasagna spatula, if the breading comes off don’t worry and put it back on the fillets.
Plate up.
Grind some more pepper, add some chopped parsley, and drizzle with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Your light breaded cod soft inside with crunchy crust outside is ready.
Enjoy your meal!
You can cook the light breaded cod in an air fryer.
Follow the instructions [temperature and times] indicated in your appliance’s user manual.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to make cod soft?
Cod is salted preserved cod, it needs to be desalted and soaked before cooking.
With soaking, the weight of the fish can increase up to 3-4 times.How long should salted cod be soaked?
Consider 48 hours of soaking or, alternatively, buy already soaked cod.
• Soak in cold water for 48 hours;
• Change the water at least 3 times or better every 8 hours.What flour can I use to substitute durum wheat semolina?
Traditions
It is traditional to prepare fried battered cod for Christmas holidays and for Saint Joseph’s table.
