Baked Cod with Tomatoes, Fennel & Onions Recipe

I pulled out one of my old cast iron cookbooks last week and settled on a few different recipes for this round. They’re all great looking, but today’s recipe is especially nice because it’s perfect for the season. Spring is in the air and I’m in the mood for some fish that’s on the lighter side. I figured cod would go well with this one, so that’s what I bought. I prepared this dish last night and things went without a hitch. It was awesome.

The Recipe

This is a wonderful dish that offers a mild flavor. What really stands out in it is the fennel. The recipe calls for two bulbs and those, along with the sweet onion and tomatoes, really makes the combination memorable. There is also a bit of uniqueness infused with this “base” as well. The recipe calls for orange juice, white wine, orange zest and triple sec (that was my addition). The mixture is very nice.

Overall, I’d say this dish is really very good. The fish is baked to perfection in the oven and it comes out extremely tender and flaky. I’ll give you a ballpark estimate for how much salt you’ll need to add to the onion and fennel, but you’ll need to season to taste. That’s what I did.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

1/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Sweet Onion, Thinly Sliced
3 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
2 Fennel Bulbs, Cored and Thinly Sliced
1 28-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes, Drained
1 Cup Dry White Wine
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons Triple Sec
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
6 Thick Pieces of White Fish (Cod, Halibut – Captain’s Cut)
Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Ellen Brown and for her wonderful resource called The New Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook. This book takes traditional cast iron cooking to a new level. It adds an air of elegance to the whole thing, which is refreshing.

Pre-Heat Oven

Arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Soften Onion & Fennel

Warm a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is to temperature, add the olive oil to it and then the sliced onion and garlic. Stir and let the onion cook for about five minutes to soften. Then, add the fennel slices to it and, again, stir and let cook for about five minutes to soften.

Add Tomatoes & Wine

Next, add the can of drained diced tomatoes, wine, triple sec, orange juice and orange zest to the pan. Also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the pan. Mix these ingredients together and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it begins boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let everything simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the 10 minutes has passed, taste the mixture and season it to taste.

Bake the Fish

Place the pieces of fish on top of the ingredients in the pan, evenly spaced. Then, sprinkle them with a few pinches of salt and pepper.

After that, place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes to bake. Mine cooked perfectly in this time, but be sure to check yours to make sure it’s completely done. The fish should be just translucent in the center. When it’s finished, remove the pan from the oven.

Plate & Serve

Scoop some vegetables from the pan and place them in individual bowls. Then, place one piece of fish on top of the vegetables, per bowl. Serve and enjoy!

The Final Baked Cod & Vegetables Dish

Looking through all the photos is making me hungry. I enjoyed this dish and I’d definitely make it again. If you do decide to try this one out, please let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Thanks for reading!