Cajun Spiced Roasted Cod Loin

The Recycled Cook

Cajun Spiced Roasted Cod Loin 

For this dish I used two Cod loins but you could easily substitute Cod for another firm white fish such as Hake or Haddock or even Monkfish.

 The first thing to do is to make the baste. Put some softened butter in a bowl, add some extra virgin olive oil, or rapeseed oil if you prefer, and mix well. 

 The quantities will depend on how many loins you have, you will need enough to cover then well.


Next add some garlic purée, if you don't have any crush some garlic cloves and blitz them down to a paste. Add a generous amount of ready mixed Cajun spices to your taste. Check that you are happy with the flavour. I added some hot chilli powder to mine.

 Cut your Cod loins diagonally to approximately the same size for uniform cooking. Season these on both sides with white pepper and salt.

 Slice some lemons thinly and lay them on the bottom of your casserole dish, Place the cod pieces on top of the lemon and brush generously with the baste. 

 Put this in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking to maximise the flavour. You could even do this the day before and keep refrigerated overnight.
You can serve this dish in any number of ways, I decided to keep it authentic and serve it with chilly spiced black beans and rice. Traditionally Cajun food is accompanied with Ameriacan long grain rice but I prefer Basmati rice for texture.

 When ready to cook the fish bake in a medium hot oven 200° C for approximately 15 minutes or until it flakes away with a fork. If you have a digital thermometer, the internal temperature should be 130° C for the fish to be perfectly cooked.
While the fish is roasting (uncovered), rinse your rice well until the water runs clear and simmer until just cooked, season with salt. Rice will continue to cook on so don't over cook at this stage. Keep warm until the fish is ready.

 I used a tin of chilli spiced black beans heated through. You could make your own from dried black beans but you would need to soak them overnight. 

 Pre-cooked tinned black beans are readily available, if you can't find them in a chilli sauce just add your own.

Serving the fish in the casserole on the table for people to help themselves adds to the authentic feel of this dish in my opinion, it also makes it a much more sociable occasion, somethings are all lacking right now.

 I also picked some fresh salad leaves from my garden as an additional accompaniment and garnish.

 This open baked fish technique is very versatile, try it with other bastes.



Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx

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