Herb-Crusted Cod Fillets and Scalloped Potatoes

Why is cooking fish such a scary undertaking?  I don’t know about you, but for me there’s something kind of intimidating about creating a meal that highlights a delicate, flaky piece of fish.  Seafood just seems a bit more gourmet than my everyday fare and when I do decide to cook it, I feel the pressure to make it right.  And that is exactly what I did with this Herb-Crusted Cod.  It came together in no time and was delicious with a side of buttery scalloped potatoes.  It tasted like a fancy, slaving-over-a-hot-stove kind of meal but was actually more of a weeknight, 30-minute success (not promising you can make this is under 30 minutes…I am the world’s slowest chopper of vegetables and so I always take recipe prep time information with a grain of salt).

If you decide to make both of these recipes for dinner (and I suggest you do!), I would suggest that you start by prepping the potatoes and the topping for the fish.  Then, you can start cooking the potatoes, assemble the fish, and let them finish in the oven together.  I used wild alaskan true cod because it was reasonably priced and came in nicely sized fillets.  I think this recipe would work with just about any fish you like, but you might have to adjust the cooking time.  I’d love to see how it turns out with salmon!

Herb-Crusted Cod
serves 4

Ingredients
– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 1/2 cup almond flour (coarsely ground, if you’re making your own)
– 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
– 4 small garlic cloves, minced
– 1/2 tsp cayenne
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 4 skinless cod fillets

1. Preheat the oven to 450.  Lightly grease a baking pan.

2. In a food processor, combine oil, almond flour, parsley, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Pulse until you have a course mixture.

3. Place the cod fillets in the baking pan and sprinkle with almond flour mixture.  Press down a bit to make it stick as much as possible.

4. Bake in the oven until the tops are lightly browned and fish is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately

Scalloped Potatoes
serves 4

Ingredients
– 2 Tbsp butter, melted
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 1/3 cup grated swiss cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Use a mandoline to thinly slice the potatoes.  In a large bowl, toss with about half the butter and the olive oil.

3. Heat the remaining butter in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.  Place a layer of overlapping potato slices in the skillet to cover the bottom.

4. Toss the remaining potatoes with grated swiss cheese.  Add to the skillet, press down with a spatula, and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to brown.  Cut into slices and serve.

* I added this post to this week’s Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.