baked codPaul Bocuse is  widely considered to be the father of modern French cuisine. This delicious and easy-to-prepare recipe for baked cod, or cabillaud à la ménagère, is taken from our cookbook of the week,  The Complete Bocuse. This method of baking is a great technique for any fish. For his recipe, he uses cod, but we would recommend either gurnard or hake. Use a whole unboned piece of fish, preferably cut from the central, thick part of the body,  towards the tail, scaled, with skin on.

 

1 x 600g large piece fish
400 g new potatoes
100 g small new onions
3T  (50 g) butter, melted
1T  olive oil, optional
Pinch chopped parsley
1 lemon, quartered
Salt and pepper

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Scale and wash the fish. Season the fish all over generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Boil the vegetables until the potatoes are just soft, drain, and season with table salt.
  4. Generously butter an earthenware dish large enough to hold the fish and the vegetables. Place the fish in the dish and arrange vegetables around it. Drizzle the melted butter over the fish and vegetables and cook in the oven, spooning frequently with the cooking liquid—if you like you can add 1T of olive oil to it. The vegetables should stand firmly on the base of the dish so that they are in constant contact with the buttery cooking juices. This way, they will turn a nice golden colour.
  5. Just before serving, sprinkle the fish and vegetables with the freshly chopped parsley. On the side, serve the lemon quarters to squeeze over the fish when it is served into warmed plates.

Serves 4

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