I recently received a Food Wish for a traditional creamed cod recipe (which, by the way, was one of my childhood favorites), but instead of making the recipe exactly as directed, I thought I’d try to make it a little fancier and more elegant by serving the same ingredients in individual-sized gratins that were beautifully browned and bubbling. I won’t give away the conclusion, but I was quite pleased with how this turned out!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 55 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 (6 ounce) fillets cod
- 2 pinches cayenne pepper, divided, or to taste
- salt to taste
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or to taste
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot of well-salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently until tender, about 20 minutes.
- While potatoes simmer, trim, bone, and cut the cod fillets across into 2-inch pieces.
- Drain potatoes well and return to the pot. Add a pinch of cayenne, salt, and 4 tablespoons butter. Mash until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease 2 individual-sized casserole or baking dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Place both dishes on a baking sheet.
- Transfer about 2/3 cup of the mashed potatoes into each of the prepared dishes. Smooth out evenly and make a shallow depression with a spoon down the middle. Set aside.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a deep 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shallots in the hot butter with a pinch of salt until they just start to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cream, lemon zest, and a pinch of cayenne, and bring to a simmer. Add cod and wait for the sauce to come back to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, while basting with the sauce; turn and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in lemon juice and turn off the heat; stir for about 30 seconds.
- Divide the pieces of cod over the potato. Add enough sauce to just cover the fish and return the pan to the stove.
- Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in tarragon.
- Spoon the thickened sauce over the cod. Add a light dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
- Bake in the center of the preheated oven until cod is cooked through and the sauce is browned and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Use cod fillets that are 6 to 8 ounces each.
- You can add as much potato as you want to the casserole dishes but remember to leave room for the fish and sauce.
- This recipe will make extra mashed potatoes; 1 large russet potato will be enough for 2 portions. Recipe can be tripled and baked in a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Substitute dill for tarragon if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1090 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 333 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 54 g |
| Sodium | 217 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 86 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Made this dish many times following the recipe precisely. Occasionally substitute fresh chopped dill when I can’t get my hands on living tarragon. Hearty and delicious, + easy recipe. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I loved this, I make it often. I also add Argentine shrimp to it and yes it is so delicous
Very good recipe, I added shrimp and scallops to the mix, was very good
This is my teenage son’s favorite recipe. He asks for it every birthday or special occasion. It’s tasty and fancy enough to be a special occasion dish, but easy enough to be in regular rotation. Simply sublime! Another Chef John masterpiece!
Could use a bit of Garlic. With the potatoes being mashed, there isn’t a lot of texture. Though it has the potential to be a very good meal.
This recipe was 4.5 stars… Easy, tasty, creamy good, crispy where you wanted it to be, yummy w/the herbs and spices and slight heat with the cayenne… I plated with raw spinach and placed the creamed cod w/mashed potatoes on top which heated the spinach to a perfect slightly cooked veggie. Definitely a keeper…
As someone who has made many creamy sauce-based fish dishes, this recipe is like crack-cocaine. Couldn’t get enough of it!
Made it as instructed. Very good.
It is wonderful! I have made it several times. I had to use carnation milk and it was still delicious! It is a ‘special’ occasion dish for us and we love it. Use the cream if possible!
I love this recipe and so does my husband. Yes, I altered it slightly. I add flour to 3/4 c of 2 % milk instead of heavy cream. I used a slight mix of shredded cheddars instead of Parmesan/ Romano. Excellentl!
Another Chef John winner! This is delicious, easy to prepare, and easy on the wallet. The sauce is creamy and flavorful without over-powering the fish. A definite frequent addition to the repertoire. Thanks Chef.
i did exactly the recipe and it was delicious!! My son said” i wouldn’t mind if you make that again!”lol
Fabulous as written. The sauce does indeed seep into the mashed potato to make an indescribably delicious base for the creamed cod. I grew up on cod and this is now my lifetime favorite cod dish. Can make hours ahead stopping at the point where the dish goes into the oven. Put in fridge covered. When ready, sit on counter for fifteen minutes then pop into the preheated oven until the cod is finished and the top is slightly browned.
creamy deliciousness – My wife and eight year old loved it. Interesting flavors, wholesome ingredients and easy to follow makes this another hit from Chef John. Thank you
When I served this to my wife, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. The cream sauce was perfectly balanced by the freshness of the lemon and tarragon. I even used those frozen cod pieces from the supermarket and it was still amazing. I’ll have what she’s having. And she’s having Chef John’s cod and potato gratin.
I baked for ten minutes and the cod was quite overcooked. If I try it again I might do 30 seconds each side on the stovetop and a lower temp in the oven.
For 4 servings, I used 1.5 lbs of cod and 2 large potatoes, kept everything else the same. It’s a very good dish; great comfort food! The tarragon definitely dominates the flavor profile, so I wouldn’t add anymore than the recipe calls for.
I made this recipe as is. Restaurant worthy! Such delicious sauce!
I’m pretty particular about how I like my fish but this was soooo good! I didn’t have cod so used haddock fillets. We like our fish with a bit of colour so I dusted the fillets with flour and browned them in the butter very briefly before continuing on with the rest of the recipe as written except I used grated Gouda instead of parmesan. I think next time I will make sure to put more of the sauce on the potatoes because they were a little dry in the middle, but other than that it was perfect. I used one 12.5 oz russet potato and it was more than enough for the two of us. I couldn’t even finish my portion. Very rich, filling and satisfying . Will definitely make this again!
I love a good seafood dish and I’d sacrifice my lactose intolerant stomach for a very good cream dish. I had never heard of this dish before and neither did my boyfriend so we tried this and we loved it. incredibly easy recipe to follow and the flavors work so well together on this dish.
I want to lick the pan clean. I seriously could drink this sauce in a mug. I could literally bathe in this sauce and be happy for the rest of my life. Just yummy. Omgoodness. Chef John’s recipes never disappoint. I made this exactly as written and it is restaurant quality. Make it. Just do it. You won’t be sorry.