Baked COD with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Shallots
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Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey, optional
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes, or more to taste, optional
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1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, about 2 cups
1/2-3/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced, about 2 teaspoons
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4 six ounce cod filets, skin removed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
chopped fresh basil and parsley, to serve
Make the fish:
Move the rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large 9" x 13" baking dish, add the first 6 ingredients and whisk to combine well. Add the tomatoes, olives, shallots and garlic and toss to coat. Spread them out evenly in the dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, until they are beginning to soften and the tomatoes are starting to collapse a little.
Meanwhile, pat the fish dry with paper towels, lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. When the tomatoes are ready, give them a good stir and push half the tomatoes over to one side of the dish, and the rest to the other. Place the pieces of fish into the center. Try not to have the filets touching.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked through. It will flake easily with a fork. Serve each piece of the fish topped with the roasted tomato mixture and a sprinkle of the fresh basil and/or parsley.
Makes 4 servings. YUM!
LESSONS Learned:
1. Any white mild white fish will work. I prefer thicker cuts, like cod or haddock. If using a thinner piece of fish, like flounder, the baking time will be less.
2. I like cherry tomatoes because you can get really sweet ones year round. But if you have delicious summer tomatoes available feel free to use them, about 2 cups in 1/2 chunks.
3. I love the shallots, but you can sub in about 1/2 cup of thinly sliced onions would be fine too.