Roasted Cod with Pesto and Breadcrumbs

Even though we don’t know each other all that well, you and I, there are some things that I’m pretty sure we have in common… we like food; we like eating food; we don’t always have a lot of time to cook that food; and most of the time we’d like to be eating more things that are good for us.  Like healthy stuff.

I’m also guessing that if the above are true for us, then like me, you are also on the lookout for ways to eat more fish, but find it hard to find good, easy yummy recipes for it.

Well, search no more!  I found this recipe from Fine Cooking, and while it looked good and sounded easy, I was unprepared for how really jaw-dropping delicious it turned out to be.  I was pretty sure you'd like this.

You only need 4 ingredients (a few more if you make your own pesto)… Fish, pesto, tomatoes and breadcrumbs.  Of course, you’ll need a little olive oil and some salt and pepper, but those don’t count.

Here’s how easy this is… take your fish and top it with some of your pesto, lay on 2 or 3 of the tomato slices, top that with your breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.  If your pesto seems pretty oily, then I would go easy on the olive oil drizzle, but really, does it get any easier than that?!  I think not.

And what a big payoff for such simplicity.  This would be such a great company dish… assembled in minutes (ahead of time), throw it in the oven and serve without ever breaking a sweat.  I’m telling you, this stuff is money!

So, I feel like we know each other a little better now.  There’s nothing like easy, fast, delicious food to bring people together.  Here's the recipe...

Roasted Cod with Pesto and Breadcrumbs

Click here for a printable recipe

Recipe Courtesy Fine Cooking
1 large ripe tomato, cored and sliced very thinly (about 1/8 inch)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups coarse fresh white breadcrumbs (from about 4 slices of bread, trimmed of crusts)
1-1/2 lb. cod or haddock, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 4 even portions
2/3 cup basil pesto (see below)

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Heat the oven to 450°F.

Set the fish on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the pesto evenly over the fish and top each with two or three tomato slices and the breadcrumbs. Roast until the fish is opaque on the sides and starts to flake, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Basil Pesto

3-3/4 oz. (5 cups packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 oz. (1/4 cup) pine nuts
1 large clove garlic, peeled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; more for storing
1 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup from a box grater; 1 cup from a rasp grater)

Pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the feed tube and process, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture forms a thick paste. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the Parmigiano. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

You Might Also Like:

      
Cod with Oranges, Olives         Mediterranean Fish Fillets        Perfect Oven-Roasted Salmon
   and Capers

Comments

[rx4foodies]

What a brilliant way to use pesto! I love the picture, too! :)

[emiglia]

This is just my kind of recipe: easy, fresh and delicious! Gorgeous picture up top too...

[Salad in a Jar]

I can see this with my Cilantro and Green Chili Pesto. Yum!