Savory Downeast Cod Steaks Recipes

BAKED COD RECIPE WITH LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, and melted butter in a shallow bowl (do not add the garlic yet). Set aside.
• In another shallow bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, spices, salt and pepper. Set next to the lemon sauce.
• Pat the fish dry. Dip the fish in the lemon sauce then dip it in the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour. Reserve the lemon sauce for later.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or an oven-safe pan) over medium-high heat (watch the oil to be sure it is shimmering but not smoking). Add the fish and sear on each side to give it some color, but do not fully cook (about 2 minutes on each side). Remove the skillet from heat.
• To the remaining lemon sauce, add the minced garlic and mix. Drizzle all over the fish fillets.
• Bake in the heated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork (10 minutes should do it, but begin checking earlier). Remove from the heat and sprinkle chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

LEMON GARLIC BUTTER BAKED COD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Slice half of the lemon. Juice the other half, you will need 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Lay lemon slices in a casserole dish.
• Whisk together butter, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Pat cod filets or loins dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle cod with lemon pepper & dill weed and place over lemon slices.
• Pour garlic butter mixture over the cod. Bake 15-20 minutes or just until opaque and the fish flakes easily. Do not overcook.
• Sprinkle parsley over top and spoon butter over to serve.

SPICED COD FILLET ON THE GRILL

Steps:

• Dust cod with cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Spread mustard over fish.
• If grilling use the butter to baste, this of course means you'll need to melt the butter.
• Grill for about 3 minutes per side.
• You could alternatively broil for 3-4 minutes per side in the oven.
• In this case, place the fish on a broiling pan and dot each fillet with butter before putting it in the oven (on broil).
• Either way the fish flesh will be white, firm and flake easily with a fork when done.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

COD WITH HEARTY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place tomatoes in a blender. Cover and process until pureed., Pat fish dry with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add cod fillets; cook until surface of fish begins to color, 2-4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan., In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, 2-4 minutes. Stir in seasonings and pureed tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add cod; return just to a boil, spooning sauce over tops. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 5-7 minutes. Serve with pasta. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

COD STEAKS ON A BED OF CREAMY LEEKS, POTATO AND BACON

Steps:

• Fry the bacon over a medium heat with no extra fat until it's starting to go crispy and lots of fat has run off into the pan.
• Add the leeks and onion, stir them around and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Throw in the potatoes, stock and wine, season lightly with salt and black pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, wash and dry the cod steaks, and dredge them in flour with salt and pepper.
• When the leeks have had their 20 minutes, melt some butter in a non-stick frying pan with a little bit of oil. When it's hot, put in the cod steaks and cook them over a medium-high heat for five minutes on each side. Keep cooking the leeks in the meantime.
• Just before serving, stir a few tablespoons of cream into the leeks and check the seasoning.
• Pile the creamy leeks onto the plates, and pop the cod steaks on top with a wedge of lemon.

SAUTEED COD STEAKS AND TOMATOES WITH GREEN SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small food processor blend watercress, arugula, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until leaves are chopped fine and sauce is smooth, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons water if necessary to thin sauce to consistency of thin mayonnaise. Transfer sauce to a small bowl.
• Season cod with salt and pepper. In a heavy non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté fish 3 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Turn fish over and sauté 2 minutes more. Move fish to one side of skillet and to other side add tomatoes, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté tomatoes and fish 1 minute, or until tomatoes are just wilted and fish is just cooked through and barely flakes with a fork.
• Transfer fish with a spatula to each of 2 plates and spoon tomato mixture on top. Pour some green sauce over fish and serve remaining on the side.

EXTREME MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH STEAKS

Steps:

• In a food processor combine all ingredients except the steaks; process until well blended.
• Using a fork prick holes on both sides of the steaks, then place in a shallow glass baking dish or container.
• Pour the marinade over steaks and turn to make certain that steaks are coated in the marinade.
• Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours (turning once or twice during marinating time).
• A couple of hours before ready to grill remove the steaks from the fridge and the marinade, place on plates and let come down to room temperature (discard the marinade).
• Grill steaks until desired doneness.

SIMPLE GRILLED COD STEAKS

Steps:

• To keep the steaks from falling apart, fold the long, thin end pieces-the belly flaps-inward to form a compact round of flesh. Tie a length of kitchen twine in a loop around the outside band of skin of the fish, securing the flaps within; pull to tighten, and knot it securely.
• Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with salt, coat with garlic oil, and place in a dish with a few garlic slices and the herb stems strewn over them. Marinate for an hour or two at room temperature, or longer if refrigerated.
• Preheat the clean rack of a grill over high heat until very hot. Just before putting on the fish, rub the grill with an oiled towel or a piece of pork fat. Wipe excess garlic oil off the steaks, and set them on the grill.
• Sear the steaks without moving them for 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the tops with garlic oil. If the fish isn't sticking, check the cooked undersides and flip the steaks over as soon as the grill marks are golden brown. If the flesh sticks, grill another minute to sear, then turn the steaks over, using a sharp-edged broad metal spatula if necessary, to separate the flesh from the grill.
• Grill to mark the second side, 3 to 4 minutes; brush the top side with a small amount of garlic oil, and lower heat to medium. If the flesh is not sticking, you can make crosshatch grill marks if you wish: lift the steak after 3 minutes, rotate it 90 degrees or so in relation to the grill rack, then lower it on the same side.
• When the second side has grilled for 4 minutes or more, check for doneness by feel and sight: when the exterior flakes and the center of the steak is opaque but moist (push aside the flesh with a knife blade to see inside), remove steaks to a platter.
• Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with garlic oil. Serve right away with sauce on the side, or top with spoonfuls of salsa verde, or drizzle salmoriglio, or dress with just a plain slice of lemon and some extra-virgin olive oil.
• First Make Garlic Oil and Other Tips for Grilled Seafood
• Here are my basic preparations for all fish or shellfish before grilling. They're useful for either gas or charcoal grills, although every grill differs in heat output and cooking times:
• First, make plenty of garlic-infused oil, ahead of time, to flavor all fish and shellfish, including clams, mussels, and oysters in the shell.
• For one cup of oil, drop 1/4 cup of sliced garlic in 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let the oil infuse for 1/2 hour to 1 hour before using; then remove the garlic slices. The oil can be refrigerated for a week or more.
• Marinate the seafood in garlic oil: pour just enough oil over to coat; toss and turn to oil all surfaces. Toss in some of the garlic slices if the garlic oil is freshly made, or a few newly cut slices, as well as fresh herb stems or branches-such as thyme, bay leaves, or rosemary. Marinate all fish for an hour or two if possible before grilling, or even overnight (refrigerated, of course).
• Clean and scrape the grill rack well, and get it intensely hot over high heat or hot piled coals before putting on the fish.
• Grease the hot grill rack lightly before putting on food, with an oiled paper towel, or a piece of cured pork skin from prosciutto end (page 129).
• Sear fish without turning until deeply marked by the grill, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Thorough searing minimizes sticking.
• For large fish or steaks, initially cook over high heat, then, halfway through, lower heat to medium; for smaller pieces, lower the heat (or spread the coals) and cook only over medium heat.
• Keep garlic oil handy, and drizzle or brush on seafood sparingly while grilling-usually on turning the pieces. Avoid spilling any oil onto the lava rocks or coals and starting smoky, bad-tasting flare-ups.
• Grill simple garnishes and accompaniments for seafood at the same time. I grill rounds of lemon on the rack alongside my fish or shellfish, until nicely caramelized, 5 minutes or more, turning them occasionally. Another favorite: brush slices of country bread with garlic oil, and mark well on both sides (over a cool section of the grill), to serve with the fish.
• Serving Suggestions . . .
• Cooked Carrot Salad with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins (page 45), Scallion and Asparagus Salad (page 35), or Eggplant all'Uccelletto (Poached Eggplant with Vinegar, Garlic, and Mint; page 252) would be an ideal accompaniment for grilled cod.
• First Make Garlic Oil-And Other Tips for Grilled Seafood
• Just a few steps from my kitchen is the door to a shady terrazzo where we relax and eat many of our summer meals. On one wall is a beautiful old-fashioned brick fireplace for cooking meats over wood coals. But often, I have to confess, I do my everyday grilling on a convenient gas grill with adjustable burners. And usually I grill fish or shellfish-it's always quick, and my family loves it.
• Here are my basic preparations for all fish or shellfish before grilling. They're useful for either gas or charcoal grills, although every grill differs in heat output and cooking times:
• First, make plenty of garlic-infused oil, ahead of time, to flavor all fish and shellfish, including clams, mussels, and oysters in the shell.
• For one cup of oil, drop 1/4 cup of sliced garlic in 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let the oil infuse for 1/2 hour to 1 hour before using; then remove the garlic slices. The oil can be refrigerated for a week or more.
• Marinate the seafood in garlic oil: pour just enough oil over to coat; toss and turn to oil all surfaces. Toss in some of the garlic slices if the garlic oil is freshly made, or a few newly cut slices, as well as fresh herb stems or branches-such as thyme, bay leaves, or rosemary. Marinate all fish for an hour or two if possible before grilling, or even overnight (refrigerated, of course).
• Clean and scrape the grill rack well, and get it intensely hot over high heat or hot piled coals before putting on the fish.
• Grease the hot grill rack lightly before putting on food, with an oiled paper towel, or a piece of cured pork skin from prosciutto end (page 129).
• Sear fish without turning until deeply marked by the grill, anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes. Thorough searing minimizes sticking.
• For large fish or steaks, initially cook over high heat, then, halfway through, lower heat to medium; for smaller pieces, lower the heat (or spread the coals) and cook only over medium heat.
• Keep garlic oil handy, and drizzle or brush on seafood sparingly while grilling-usually on turning the pieces. Avoid spilling any oil onto the lava rocks or coals and starting smoky, bad-tasting flare-ups.
• Grill simple garnishes and accompaniments for seafood at the same time. I grill rounds of lemon on the rack alongside my fish or shellfish, until nicely caramelized, 5 minutes or more, turning them occasionally. Another favorite: brush slices of country bread with garlic oil, and mark well on both sides (over a cool section of the grill), to serve with the fish.