Since my family
knows I love to cook, I am the recipient of recipes including
cookbooks, hand written copies and those clipped from a print
journal which belonged to a family member who no longer cooks. This
is how I ended up with a 1933 copy of Better Homes Recipe Book
by Marjorie
Mills from which I got my “Drop Whole Wheat Biscuits” recipe.
This recipe is a
variation of one I received in the collection kept my late Aunt
Caroline which she clipped from print journal. Hers didn't specify
the amounts of the ingredients, except for this fish, which I'm okay
with but in sharing this recipe I felt it critical to specify amounts
along with cooking times, size of skillet and a reminder to wrap a
towel around the handle of the skillet at the end as I can tell you
from personal experience the handle can remain very hot for a good
amount of time.
I've used both fresh
cod and frozen cod with this recipe as well as fillets of different
thicknesses at the same time. My preference is for day boat fresh
cod which I realize not everyone has access to. Additionally, day
boat fresh cod won't fill your house with a “fishy” smell.
The end result is a
fillet which is browned on the outside easily cut with a fork.
Wheat and Dairy Free
skillet Roasted Cod Fillets (serves 1-2)
1 pound cod, fresh
or frozen which have been thawed
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon kosher
salt
¼ teaspoon white
sugar
1/8 – ¼ teaspoon
ground black pepper (if you don't like a heavy pepper taste, use the
smaller amount)
11 – 12 inch
skillet which is stovetop and oven safe
spatula large enough
to flip fish
dish towel
1) Place oven rack
on middle rung.
2) Pre-heat oven to
temperature to 425 degrees farenheit.
3) Remove any skin
from fish.
4) Sprinkle 1/8
teaspoon of salt and sugar on this side of the fish.
5) Sprinkle half the
black pepper (1/16 – 1/8 teaspoon) on side of fish just sprinkled
with sugar and salt.
6) Sprinkle
remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt and sugar on this side of the fish.
7) Sprinkle
remaining half the black pepper (1/16 – 1/8 teaspoon) on side of
fish just sprinkled with sugar and salt.
8) Pour canola oil
into skillet and gently swirl oil around until bottom of skillet is
coated in oil.
9) Heat oil over
medium-high heat. You'll know the oil is heated when you tilt
skillet very slightly and the oil ripples or wave.
10)Place fish in
skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 1-5 minutes or until the
oil around all fish pieces is browned and the top of the fish begins
to “flake”.
11) Flip fish using
spatula.
12) Turn off
stovetop and place skillet in pre-heated oven for 7-11 minutes. Time
in oven will depend upon thickness of fish.
13) Remove skillet
from oven and place dish towel around handle.
14) Serve fish. Store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.
Skillet Roasted Cod Fillets ready to serve
