How tasty are baked gratinated cod fillets?! It’s a truly delightful fish dish that can be prepared and served in no time!
Combined with cherry tomatoes and olives, it becomes a fragrant and very tasty dish! The cod fillets have a really delicious crust on top thanks to the cornmeal breading, which gives the dish a nice golden color.
The cod remains tender thanks to the cherry tomatoes that release their juices during cooking, preventing the fish from drying out.
Moreover, the addition of taggiasca olives gives the dish a really pleasant flavor boost!
The baked gratinated fish fillets are definitely a healthy, economical dish that’s accessible to all. It’s quick to prepare, making it perfect for those who are always coming home late from work!
It’s also great for those on a diet, not surprisingly it’s one of my favorite dishes, recommended by my nutritionist!
If you don’t like cherry tomatoes or olives, you can pair the cod fillets with any vegetables you like, to make this dish complete with a side dish.
Don’t like cod? No problem! You can use your preferred fish fillets, such as perch, sea bream, swordfish, plaice, sole, salmon, etc.
But now, let’s see together how to prepare Mediterranean gratinated cod fillets.
Read to the end, you will find tips on executing this recipe and a small gift for you ❤️
More delicious fish-based recipes I recommend you don’t miss!
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 1 person
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz cod fillets (clean weight)
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 0.88 oz taggiasca olives (or green or black olives)
- 15 pickled capers
- 0.35 oz olive oil
- to taste parsley (preferably fresh or basil)
- to taste salt
- 0.71 oz coarse cornmeal (coarse grain)
- 1.06 oz breadcrumbs (fresh, if possible)
Tools
- Chopper
- Baking Dish
- Parchment Paper
Steps
The doses indicated in the recipe are for one person and are the ones I follow in my diet. I pair the fish only with vegetables, no bread.
Feel free to adjust according to your habits. For two people, double the ingredients.
In a food processor, place breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, and a bit of garlic (only if you like it).
Blend until you obtain a not too fine breading. Put it in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and the cornmeal, and mix with a teaspoon.
If you don’t have cornmeal, you can replace it with breadcrumbs or, if you prefer, use only breadcrumbs for a total of 50 grams.
Wash the cherry tomatoes well and cut them in half. Take a baking dish and line it with a sheet of parchment paper.
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil (I can use 10 grams for a meal, so adjust according to your habits).
Take the obtained breading and lightly dust the bottom of the baking dish. Place the cod fillets on top.
You can use either fresh ones already cleaned at the fish counter or frozen ones.
In the latter case, you will first need to defrost the cod (I recommend placing it in a strainer to drain it well).
Arrange the cherry tomatoes, capers, and season with salt inside the baking dish.
Cover the cod fillets with the remaining breading, letting some fall on the cherry tomatoes too.
Add the taggiasca olives, which you can replace with black or green ones (preferably pitted).
Season with olive oil and bake in a static oven (better to avoid the fan mode as it might dry out too much).
Bake at 375°F for ABOUT 25 minutes if the fillets are quite thick; if they are thinner, cooking is faster, check around 20 minutes.
Once ready, serve and enjoy this light and wholesome baked fish dish!
If you like, you can drizzle the cod fillets with a bit of lemon juice before serving.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Come on… try it yourself! It’s delicious!
Let me know in the comments what you think! 😉
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All rights reserved
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
For a gluten-free version what can I do?
You can prepare the breading with naturally gluten-free cornmeal or, if you prefer, use only gluten-free breadcrumbs found in supermarkets or pharmacies.
How long can cod be stored once cooked?
You can store it in the fridge for one day, well covered with food wrap. Before serving again, you can reheat it for a few minutes in the oven, microwave, or skillet.
Can I cook the cod fillets directly in a skillet?
Yes, of course, if you prefer, you can cook the cod in a skillet. In this case, I recommend using a fairly large skillet so you can arrange the fish fillets without overlapping. First, cook the fish in the skillet with a bit of oil on both sides for about 5 minutes, being careful when flipping them. Then add cherry tomatoes, capers, and olives, cover the fish with the breading only on the surface, season with oil, adjust the salt, and continue cooking for 5 minutes covered and another approximately 5 minutes uncovered.
What wine pairs well with baked cod?
I’m not a wine expert, but I enjoy tasting them on certain occasions. My suggestion comes from the heart, or rather from my homeland, Abruzzo. Try pairing this dish with a Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, excellent for enjoying baked fish or grilled.
Can I accompany the cod fillets with potatoes? How do the cooking times change?
Sure, with potatoes it becomes an even tastier dish but requires more attention to cooking as potatoes take longer.
You have two options: blanch (also known as “parboil“) the potatoes and then bake them. In this case, peel and wash the potatoes well, cut them into wedges or cubes of equal size, and plunge them into a saucepan with boiling water. After about 7 minutes DRAIN well and place in the baking dish, season only with oil and salt, and bake in a fan-forced oven at 400°F. It will take about 35 minutes, so after 15 minutes remove the baking dish and place the cod, cherry tomatoes, capers, and olives, season with the breading, oil, and salt, and bake again this time in static mode at 375°F for about 25 minutes.
If you prefer to bake the potatoes directly in the oven, it will take 20 minutes longer, so adjust and add all the other ingredients to the baking dish 25 minutes before the potatoes are done.
