A Gratin of Haddock or Cod

Friday 17 April 2015

A Gratin of Haddock or Cod





I have to say I am especially fond of Cod or Haddock, responsibly sourced of course.   I grew up with salt cod which is what we used to make fish cakes with back home . . .  


I will guarantee that were you to take any one person in my family out for a meal, dollars to donuts . . .  they'll choose either cod or haddock and chips.  It's a given.  It's our celebration meal of choice!



A Gratin of Haddock or Cod





Fresh fish can be quite expensive these days and I was really pleased a few weeks back when I was able to buy about six large fillets of fresh Cod at Costco for not much more than what I had paid for just one fillet at Morrisons a couple months ago.  



My husband almost had a fit when I told him I had paid about £12 for one piece of fish . . .  he was really pleased however with my Costco deal.



A Gratin of Haddock or Cod





I splurged the other day and used two fillets (cut into pieces) to make this delicious Gratin.  Oh boy  . . . was it some good.   


Delicious sweet cod . . .  delicate and perfectly cooked beneath a delicious creamy sauce flavoured with mustard, cheese and summer savory.  

I always pick up a package of Summer Savory when I visit my mom.  You don't need it though as dill and tarragon are also very good.)



 A Gratin of Haddock or Cod






I served it simply with some leftover new potatoes (lightly browned in butter), carrots and swede   It mad for a very delicious meal altogether.   We all quite, quite enjoyed this.   


I hope you will give it a go.  It is sure to become a firm favourite in your house as well.  As far as treats go . . .  this did the job very well.  


It's not low calorie, but . . . sometimes you just have to let go and enjoy without thinking about the consquences.

A Gratin of Haddock or Cod







*A Gratin of Haddock or Cod*
Serves 4
Rich and delicious.  If you can make a cream sauce, this will be a doddle.


2 large fresh haddock or cod fillets, cut into 4 serving portions
3 TBS unsalted butter
3 TBS plain flour
340ml of milk (1 1/2 cups)
110ml of double cream (1/2 cup)
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp summer savory, dill or tarragon leaves
150g of grated medium cheddar cheese (1 1/4 cups)
60g of crushed buttery cracker crumbs (1 cup)
olive oil spray 


A Gratin of Haddock or Cod






Put the milk and cream together in a saucepan.  Heat only until bubbles appear around the edges.  Set aside.   Melt the butter in another saucepan.  Whisk in the flour.  Cook for two minutes and then slowly whisk in the milk and cream mixture.   


Whisk in the mustard and lemon zest.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk in the Parmesan cheese and whichever herb you are using.


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 5.



A Gratin of Haddock or Cod





Butter a square baking dish.  Put the fish into the baking dish.   Pour the sauce over top.  Scatter the cheddar cheese over all. 


Cover with the cracker crumbs.  Spritz with olive oil spray.  Bake in the heated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the dish is golden brown.  Serve hot.



3 comments

  1. Hi Marie,
    This looks like something I would cook for the family, could I use frozen cod or haddock? Asda are pretty good when it comes to frozen fish fillets.
    I assume I could just defrost the fillets then continue the recipe as stated.
    I'm not surprised Todd was shocked at the price of 1 fillet, my partner would have had a taken up fishing if i'd done that : )
    I know fresh is superior but I have been using asda's frozen fish fillets for a while (pollock ones) and as long as you treat it as fresh when cooking(i.e. dont over cook it) its great.
    There's also more selection than there used to be.
    Thankyou for all your tasty tea time meals

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fay, it will work fine if you thaw the fish first. I had frozen my fish and thawed it out and it was delicious! Hope you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. There was some lovely cod for sale this week, so I made this one tonight for dinner. I flavoured the sauce with tarragon leaves and it was lovely - a delicious combination of flavours. It's one I will make again.

    I'm loving discovering things in your archives - there are some real gems here and I'm gradually working my way through them. Your recipes always work, are easy to follow and I love the background you add to your posts. I feel as though I'm cooking with a friend every time I make one of your dishes.

    ReplyDelete

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