Cod Baked with Potatoes and Tomatoes

My Italian cooking buddy Giovanna taught me how to make this delicious fish dish. It is an incredibly tasty one-dish meal, and quite simple to put together. And I never thought I would say this about fish, but it even tastes better the second day; as if it thought it was a stew or something. (I've taken the liberty of changing up Giovanna’s simple, but delicious fish dish with the addition of a few more dried spices.)






Here’s your list of ingredients:

Potatoes, thinly sliced (I used red this time around, but have used all sorts. Slice enough for two layers in whatever size pan you are using.)
Olive oil
Salt, pepper
Smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, Italian seasoning, rosemary
Cherry tomatoes, halved (The more the merrier!)
Bread crumbs
Parmesan, shredded
Dried tarragon
Cod fillets, cut into serving size pieces.
Garlic, minced

Let’s get started!
Preheat your oven to 350. Get out a casserole dish, line it with parchment paper (no need to fit it perfectly, just slap it in the pan), and drizzle a good glug of olive oil onto the paper in the bottom of the pan.

The first step is to prep the potatoes:
Thinly slice your potatoes and place them in a bowl. Give them a good drizzle of olive oil. Then season generously with salt and pepper, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, Italian seasoning, and rosemary. (I am Very loosey-goosey with my seasonings. Not only do I not measure in this kind of situation, but I change up the seasoning with whatever I have on hand. If you don’t have one of these spices or herbs, just skip them. Or change them to whatever you do like.) Get your hands in there and rub the potatoes, being sure the slices get separated and coated with the olive oil and seasonings. Set aside.

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Next, slice all the cherry tomatoes (I used “grape” tomatoes this time.) in half. I think cutting the tomatoes in half encourages them to release their juices, helping to keep your fish nice and moist. Place all the cut tomatoes in a bowl, and season generously with olive oil salt, pepper and a good pinch of Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Place some breadcrumbs in a small bowl (enough to sprinkle over the top of the whole casserole), add an equal amount of shredded parmesan cheese and a good dose of dried tarragon. Mix to blend using a teaspoon and set aside.



Now that we have all our components set aside, we’re ready to quickly put together the casserole and pop it in the oven. 

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First off, take half of the thinly sliced potatoes, and lay them in the bottom of your pan on the oiled parchment paper. Make overlapping rows with them, as if you were making scalloped potatoes. 

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Secondly, pour over and scatter half of the cherry tomato halves on top of the potatoes. 

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Now lay all of your fish portions right on top of the tomatoes in a single layer. Take a moment now to season the fish. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and scatter over the minced garlic.

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~Now comes the second layer of remaining potatoes slices. Be sure to pour over any leftover olive oil with spices from the bottom of the bowl….very precious stuff.
~Scatter over the remaining cherry tomato halves, and once again, be sure to scrape out the bowl of any leftover oil and seasonings.
~The very last step is to sprinkle your breadcrumb mixture to cover the whole thing. Drizzle on some more olive oil, and cover with foil.

Your job is done! Pop this into the oven and go have a nice glass of wine (see wine suggestion below).

After about 30 minutes, remove the foil. Test the potatoes with a fork for doneness, but most likely they will need another 15 minutes or so. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. Don’t worry if this seems a long time to bake fish. It all stays so incredibly moist with all the olive oil and tomato juices. 

When it’s done, get out some shallow bowls. This layered dish is so juicy! You’ll need edges to your plate and some good bread to sop up the tasty sauce. Use a large serving spoon to cut through all the layers. 
Buon appetito!

I think Giovanna’s dish is best served with a nice Italian white wine.  One of my favorites is a blend of pinot grigio and verduzzo from Masi called Masianco. A lot of Italian pinot grigio wines are a little thin for me. They start out great, and end a little weak. The addition of 25% verduzzo on top of the 75% pinot grigio really does something for this wine. It starts great and stays that way all the way through. I simply love it.

If you're interested in traveling to Italy with me and even having a cooking lesson with Giovanna, drop me a line at:  mailto:irene@bellagiornatatours.com
If you're interested in tasting a bottle of Masi's Masianco, it can be purchased at:
http://www.vino100whiteplains.com