Baked Cod With Vegetables & Herbs

Cod is a wonderful product to cook with. It is a very delicate, mild fish that pairs well with so many ingredients. With a few super fresh fillets and some time it is easy to create an impressive dish that pleases all the senses. One dish in particular that is quite phenomenal is cod fillets baked in foil accompanied by leeks and carrots. This trio is then seasoned with herbs and spices and cooked until flakey. Baking in the foil allows the fish to steam until it is perfectly flakey and the vegetables cook down while still maintaining their bite. As for the herbs and spices, they bring the dish to new heights. In the end you have little packets of elegance to serve and enjoy.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced finely
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 ½ tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup baby carrots
2 leeks, cut into matchsticks, white and light green part only
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Dry white wine of choice
2 cod fillets (6 oz each), boneless and skinless
Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC/Gas Mark 5.

Add the butter, a little garlic, a portion of the lemon zest and all of the fresh thyme to a small bowl along with a sprinkle of black pepper. Mix to create a seasoned butter for the cod. Once this is done, add the remaining garlic, parsley, and lemon zest to a separate bowl and mix to combine.

In a medium sized bowl toss together the carrots and leaks along with some salt and pepper. Tear off two sheets of aluminium foil and lay them flat on the counter. Place a mound of the leek and carrot mix in the centre of each sheet of foil and add a splash of white wine along with the juice of a lemon wedge. Add a fish fillet on the top of the vegetables and season with black pepper. Top each with half of the seasoned butter and fold the foil to create little packets.

Place both packets onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After this time remove from the oven, unwrap each package to allow steam to escape and check for doneness by making sure that the fish flakes easily with a fork.

When the fish is done top with the garlic, parsley and lemon zest mixture and serve with lemon wedges.