Baked Cod with Olives and Roasted Vegetables. A delicious and easy-to-prepare one-dish meal. I made a nice tray of baked gratin vegetables a few nights ago for a dinner with friends. They were so well received that I decided to make them again to share the recipe, and since I wanted to prepare a delightful dinner, I thought of adding cod fillets to the vegetable tray, creating a well-balanced, light, and tasty one-dish meal with vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates from the sweet potato, suitable for those on a diet or with diabetes, as it has a slow glycemic release. Gluten-free breadcrumbs can be used to make the recipe suitable even for those with celiac disease. To make the cod fillet more flavorful, I thought of using olives, such as Taggiasca, though I had Leccino olives which I personally prefer and always keep on hand, resulting in this dish. You can also pair the fillets with other sides, but I recommend trying them gratin with olives; they are really easy and delicious.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Preparing Baked Cod Fillets with Olives and Vegetables
- 4 cod fillets
- 1.8 oz pitted Leccino olives
- 1 tbsp gluten-free breadcrumbs
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salted capers
- to taste parsley
- 1 fennel
- 1 zucchini
- 4 carrots
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 tbsp parmesan
- 2 tbsp gluten-free breadcrumbs
- to taste curry
- to taste oregano
- to taste rosemary
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools for Preparing Baked Cod Fillets with Olives and Vegetables
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Steps for Preparing Baked Cod with Olives and Vegetables
Let’s start by preparing the vegetables that have longer cooking times, so we’ll prepare them first and start cooking them right away. Begin with the carrots, peel them and cut some into rounds and some into wedges, place them in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes at 1000 watts, or alternatively, boil them for 2 minutes.
Prepare the sweet potato as well, peeled, halved, and sliced. Prepare the fennel, washed and cut in half, then into slices and wedges. Also cut a zucchini into cubes, put all the vegetables together, season with oil, salt, curry, rosemary, and oregano, and mix. Add breadcrumbs and parmesan, mix well, and pour onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I actually preferred to use 2 smaller trays, in one I put most of the vegetables, the others in a second tray where I left space in the center for the cod, but a large baking sheet works fine for everything.
I baked the vegetables for about 20 minutes at 428°F (220°C) in a preheated convection oven. The two small trays together, or the large baking sheet.
Meanwhile, I prepared the cod. I used 4 frozen fillets, let them thaw a bit at room temperature, then quickly washed off the outer ice under running water. I cut them into large pieces.
For the crust, I chopped parsley, olives, and rinsed capers on the cutting board. I put everything in a dish with breadcrumbs and mixed well. If you prefer, you can chop everything with a chopper, but I wanted to leave the olives visible.
I dipped the cod in a little extra virgin olive oil and then in the breadcrumb mixture, even just on one side, to coat a surface.
After about 20 minutes, or even a little before, take the vegetables out of the oven and place the cod fillets in the tray as well, continuing to bake for another 5-7 minutes or so. This way, the fillets will be well cooked, tender, and juicy.
Remove from the oven and serve. If you prefer, you can prepare just the fillets this way, and maybe pair them with other vegetables, such as baked zucchini, or a fresh fennel and orange salad.
