Recipe Tear Out, part 2: Cod with Lemon and Parsley

I ripped this recipe from the internet. It’s from Lidia Bastianich, which I have made so many times that it feels like a family recipe. I have trimmed down the amounts since her recipe serves six, and most of the time, it’s just the two of us!

Ingredients:

One-pound fresh cod filet or loin
½ cup olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup of fresh parsley minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (less or more, depending on your taste)
Salt and Pepper
3-4 cups of grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 450. Whack the garlic cloves so that they are cracked or broken up. Place them in the bowl with 1/2 cup of olive oil. I microwave the oil garlic mix for about thirty seconds to soften the garlic. If it takes longer, go easy; you don’t want to burn the garlic. Let it steep at room temperature for thirty minutes to two hours.

Add the bread crumbs to another bowl and stir in one to two tablespoons of garlic oil, one tablespoon each of parsley, and thyme. Combine with a fork until it resembles sand.

Season the cod with salt and pepper on both sides and brush the fish with garlic oil on both sides. Set the fish on tin foil in a flat sheet pan and distribute the seasoned bread crumbs over the top of the fish. Tap the bread crumbs lightly all over the fish to ensure they stick. Put the fish in the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. The oven is pretty hot, so if the bread crumbs are getting burnt, turn the heat down to 350 and then check the fish for doneness.

While the fish is cooking, make the tomato salad. Cut all the tomatoes in half and toss them with a tablespoon of garlic oil, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of parsley.

Strain the remaining garlic oil into a saucepan along with the lemon, the remaining thyme, and crushed red pepper. When the oil boils, turn it down to simmer and let it thicken—about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and let it sit off the heat.

Remove the fish from the oven. Make sure your tomatoes have enough salt and pepper. Then, cut the filet in half, serve it with the tomatoes, and drizzle the sauce over everything. I made rice on the side.

Enjoy, and thank you, Lidia!