Easy Parsley and Breadcrumb Cod
How to make a super simple parsley and bread crumb baked cod with a garlic and lemon butter and pea rice.
So before we get to this recipe (if you haven’t just skipped to the recipe already) let’s chat food. Serving, thoughts on fish, variations. All the things that have gone into this recipe to help you better understand what we’re going to be making, and why we’re doing certain things.
It also helps my SEO so if these parts do bore you, just scroll down to the bottom where you will find the recipe. But if you’re interested in knowing more about this recipe, then do keep on scrolling. Any questions, feel free to leave a comment below!
How to serve rice to look fancy
Presentation is half the battle when it comes to tasty. The way something looks has a big impact on how we perceive it tastes. Also, it’s just a bit of fun, so here are a few tips to help you give that rice that restaurant quality look.
Tip 1: Turn your rice of the heat 5 minutes before it’s finished cooking, then cover it to trap in all that heat and steam for at least 10 minutes. This will make your rice super sticky.
Tip 2: When serving, use a small bowl, teacup, or glass. Fill it with your now sticky rice, pat it down a little then flip that over on the plate. The rice will hold its shape and look. In the photos here, I used a teacup.
Tip 3: Don’t be shy when it comes to garnishing your rice. Yes, I stuck a little bit of mint in the top. Are you going to eat it? Probably not, does it really add much? In terms of flavour, not at all, but hey, it looks cool doesn’t it? Don’t lie now, you know that looks better than a basic plate of rice…
Fish doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious
Something that I see a lot with fish recipes, is people over complicating things. Fish doesn’t need to be cooked in over complicated ways or served in over complicated ways to be delicious. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all well and good having a unique serve of a familiar fish, but if you just start of with high quality fish, then you only need to be doing a few things to make it stand out.
This fish cooking is basically a case of mixing some parsley with panko bread crumbs, rubbing a bit of oil on the fish so the crumb sticks, dipping it in the crumb and finally shoving the whole thing in the oven for 25 minutes.
Don’t let the simplicity fool you into thinking it’s going to be basic. It’s a super tasty recipe and one of my favourites for cod.
Variations
This recipe is easy to follow and comes with a lot of options to make it your own. The heart of this recipe is the parsley and breadcrumb crust. With it is a 5 ingredient mix; parsley, panko breadcrumbs, cod, salt, and pepper.
What you serve with it is completely up to you. I serve it with a pea rice and garlic and lemon butter which I will also show you how to make in the recipe. The rice balances out the meal with some healthy carbs whereas the butter adds an extra tangy layer of flavour to the full dish.
Some other options to serve with this instead of the rice would be;
Vegetables
Potatoes
Chips (did someone say fancy fish and chips? absolutely)
As for the butter, you could try;
Herb butter
Oil dressing
Mushy peas
Tartar sauce
But as I said, they are just a few variations you can try. At the end of the day, it’s completely up to you.
You can even mix up the heart of the dish which is that cod. Try swapping the cod for salmon or haddock. You can even skip the fish entirely for something like steak or tofu.
As for the crumb, you can blend the breadcrumbs with just about any herb you have on hand. Basil goes great, rosemary would be fantastic, or even better; rosemary, basil AND parsley.
I season the breadcrumb mix in a super simple and classic mix of salt and pepper. You can do so how ever you want. If you have a taste for spice try adding a mix of paprika and cayenne pepper. Or dried herbs to pair with that parsley.
The garlic and lemon butter
I touched on this in the above when talking about variations of this butter. But I decided it needed a short section in it’s own right, because it is a really simple way to add extra flavour to the dish.
All we are essentially doing is melting butter, then adding in a squeeze of lemon and crushed garlic that’s gone through a cheap garlic press.
When serving, for the photo I put it around the plate to look good but for in-real-life serving, I would pour this over everything, and yes, that includes the rice.
It’s super tangy which on it’s own is a bit over powering but trust me, just go with it, because once it’s on the fish, it adds to the aroma, it pairs beautifully, and as a plus it also works as a digestion aid helping with breaking down the proteins in the fish.
Easy Parsley and Breadcrumb Cod
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 200C (180 fan) and starting chopping your parsley, stems included.
- You want equal parts of parsley and breadcrumbs. As for the amount, that depends on the size of your cod fillets. The best thing to do is work with more so you can completely cover the fish. Don’t worry to much about the breadcrumbs and parsley being exactly equal parts, you can just eyeball it. Combine both in a large bowl. Then season the crumb mix with salt and pepper.
- Rub your cod fillets with a little bit of vegetable oil and turn them in the bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs and parsley until they are completely covered. Place them on parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes.
- Whilst your cod is baked, wash your rice and cook via packet instructions, for the last 5 minutes stir in the peas.
- Once your peas are stirred into the rice its time to prepare your garlic and lemon butter. In a saucepan on medium hear add the butter, once the butter has melted, squeeze in half the lemon (reserve the other half for serving) then using a garlic press, squeeze in the garlic and stir for 5 minutes.
- Plate the cod with the side of rice and pour the garlic and lemon butter over everything. Serve with a wedge of lemon.
Notes
Rice tips
- Turn your rice of the heat 5 minutes before it’s finished cooking, then cover it to trap in all that heat and steam for at least 10 minutes. This will make your rice super sticky.
- When serving, use a small bowl, teacup, or glass. Fill it with your now sticky rice, pat it down a little then flip that over on the plate. The rice will hold its shape and look. In the photos here, I used a teacup.
- Don’t be shy when it comes to garnishing your rice. Yes, I stuck a little bit of mint in the top. Are you going to eat it? Probably not, does it really add much? In terms of flavour, not at all, but hey, it looks cool doesn’t it? Don’t lie now, you know that looks better than a basic plate of rice…
Nutrition Facts
Calories
583.51Fat
13.92Sat. Fat
7.71Carbs
74.19Fiber
5.52Net carbs
68.66Sugar
4.37Protein
39.44Sodium
194.69Cholesterol
103.2The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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Hi, I’m Cameron, guv’nor of Smartblend. If you liked this then you’re in luck, I have a bunch more recipes like it. I share only vegetarian and pescatarian food recipes, cocktails, and drink guides with a sprinkling of wellness and mindful drinking. If that sounds like you, then stick around!
