I first posted this Roast Cod with Herb Pesto recipe in April 2014 when I was reviewing a copy of Irish Country Cooking. I made it again recently, and served with a wine we had on hand to sample.
Original text: During my most recent visit to Ireland–too long ago at over ten years–I was struck by the way cooks were making good use of nature’s bounty there. Along with fresh produce, meat and dairy from the local farms, I enjoyed a lot of good fish from Ireland’s waters. So after trying Irish Lamb Stew from the Irish Country Cooking book, I was ready to sample one of its fish recipes.
As much as I like meaty fish like salmon and swordfish, I’d like to do more with lighter, white fish as part of an overall effort to put seafood on our plates a bit more often. So I decided to try the Roast Cod with Herb Pesto recipe. This is a very simple preparation that can be done in 30 minutes, as you make the pesto while the cod cooks. The herb pesto adds nice zest to the fish, and the fresh taste is particularly welcome in these early days of spring. I definitely give this recipe a thumbs up!
Update with Wine Pairing:
Still haven’t made it back to Ireland, so cooking recipes I associated with the Emerald Isle is the next best thing until I can travel there again. With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, it was a great time to make the Roast Cod with Herb Pesto once again.
I didn’t have a wine pairing suggestion in the original post, so I wanted to be sure to fix that during our recent remake of this cod recipe. I’ve had good success pairing pesto and Picpoul before, so decided to serve a bottle I had on hand to sample with the roast cod with herb pesto. The 2014 Domaine Feline Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet ($11, 13% ABV) is a light white wine, with citrus on the the nose. Taste of lemon and stone, with a touch of honey. Definitely a good pairing with the cod and herb pesto. The Picpoul’s light, easy drinking style would make for nice sipping with many things or on its own as spring approach.
Picpoul is a white wine grape from the Languedoc region of France. A food-friendly wine worth checking out if you haven’t tried it yet!
Recipe card
Roast Cod with Herb Pesto
Roast Cod topped with a flavorful herb pesto for a healthy and tasty meal.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: roasting
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 tablespoon other fresh herb such as mint, dill or tarragon, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb cod fillet, about ¼ inch thick
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Season the cod with a bit of salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil on medium high. When the pan is good and hot, add the cod and sear for 1 minute on each side.
- After the brief pan searing of the cod, transfer it to a shallow, oven proof dish and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is just cooked through and flakes easy. Check at 20 minutes to avoid overcooking, giving it the extra 5 minutes if it doesn’t appear done.
- As the cod is roasting, combine the herbs, garlic and lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- When the cod is done, plate portions of it topped with a bit of the pesto, and pass extra pesto at the table.
Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of the book and the wine as a courtesy sample. The post containst Amazon affiliate links. As always, the opinions presented are entirely my own.
Velva
THis absolutely delightful. Thanks for sharing this Irsih Roasted Cod recipe.
Velva