Cod - never cooked it before

[Aerows]

How quick is it to cook? I have some filets, and I wanted to bake them, but how are they as say, catfish or trout on the baking quick scale?

[Major Nikon]

1. My favorite method for cooking fileted fish in the oven is broiling

I lay out the fish on a cookie sheet, brush them with melted butter, season and brown under the broiler. For thin filets you only brown one side. For thicker filets you may need to flip and brown the other side if the meat doesn't flake.

[Aerows]

2. That's how I was planning on doing it

How long does it take them to cook, though, and what temperature should I use? I guess I should have asked it that way.

These are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick for clarification, but in smaller cuts so that the thickness shouldn't be as much of an impact due to surface area.

[Major Nikon]

4. It only takes about 5 minutes per side

For broiling, the setting depends on what type of broiler you have. If you have a gas broiler, you just have to use whatever works best for your particular oven. If you have an electric broiler, you'll want to turn the temp as high as it will go. The idea is to leave the heating element on for the entire cooking time. You may need to prop your oven door open slightly to keep your oven from coming up to temperature and shutting off the heating element. Naturally you'll want the rack set to as high as it will go. You want the meat to be less than 6" from the elements. Time is not really the important part. You are waiting for the fish to brown. Once the fish browns on one side, take it out and check to see if the fish flakes easily with a fork. If it does, it's done. If not, turn it over and brown the other side. Alternatively you can check to see if it's done using an instant read thermometer (like a thermapen) at 140 degrees F.

[Aerows]

5. WOW Thank you for the detailed instructions

and the why of them. I appreciate it .

I like technical specifics. This is perfect!

Thank you so much.

I set a london broil on fire once, though. So I'm scared. It's the truth. Apartment filled with smoke after 3 minutes, the whole ugly shebang.

[Warpy]

6. I should add to that "flakes with a fork"

that if it flakes to the point of coming apart, it's overdone.

I usually do cod in a toaster oven, some seasoned bread crumbs on top to slow the cooking on top so the bottom catches up with it. Or I do it covered with a cream sauce and sitting on broccoli.

[Aerows]

7. I have a crumble to roll it in that is a lime garlic mix

I'm marinating it with lemon juice and olive oil as we speak. I have the crumbs ready to go. I don't know about this whole toaster oven business, or 6 inches from the heating eye bit. I have a grill. I'll grill it first before I set the house on fire (again like I did with the disastrous London Broil). It's an electric oven that I can adjust the shelves.

[Major Nikon]

9. I prefer to use an instant read thermometer

It just takes the guesswork out of it. However, most people don't have one. It's pretty hard to overcook fish filets by broiling, which is one of the reasons why I like that method. I've even cooked very thin filets on the broiler, and when they are brown on one side, they are not overdone.

[Aerows]

13. These are thicker filets, as I said, 1/2 to 3/4 inch

I ended up doing them for 10 minutes on each side at 375. They came out delicious. I love to cook fish, and this ended up wonderful, along with my signature rice. I was afraid they wouldn't be cooked enough, but thankfully, they ended up pretty good.

This forum rocks for helping you take chances with cooking. It's really amazing how many things I wouldn't have dared cooked had it not been for nudging from here .

You guys make me daring .

[Aerows]

8. I'm trying to get a feel for how it cooks

Compared to other fish.

Is is like catfish, which takes a little longer, or like trout that is a lot quicker? Not scientific, just asking what it seems to cook like. Maybe a flounder of 12 minutes in a bake situation?

[Aerows]

3. I am marinating it in olive oil

and lemon juice.

That won't make it come out tough I hope, because it needs a little longer baking, or does it need less time in that case?

[grasswire]

10. another C&B member posted her method a while ago, and it is delicious

Hot oven -- 500 degrees.

Put filets on oiled aluminum foil, sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter

Bake.

I've used this several times, and it is realllly good,.

[Aerows]

12. I have some brim in the freezer, and I don't like to eat fried food too often

that sounds good for white fish. Thanks for the idea . It's summer - you never know who is going to go fishing and come home with something delectable

[Aerows]

11. Cooked it at 375 degrees

rolled in bread crumbs, cheese, after it had been marinated in olive oil, for 20 minutes, 10 on each side. These were thick pieces of fish, so if they were slimmer, you could cook them less. This was actually accidentally delicious. I will be cooking more of this fish in the future, because it came out delicious.

EDIT: and I didn't set anything on fire. That's a big no no for me. Setting things on fire is a bad recipe *grin*

[applegrove]

14. I fry them in whisky, lemon and sugar.

[2ndAmForComputers]

15. I love codfish.

But I should avoid salty foods.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Next time, could try a ceviche, although...

that's kinda tricky. (OK, I'm just showing off-- nobody in his right mind does that.)

Personally, I like to lightly fry the cut up fillets with onions and maybe some herbs. Very lightly over medium heat, and you can easily tell that way when they are at the perfect "flake."

With the whole fish, poaching would be the way. Fillets can be poached, but... why?

Again preferably with the whole fish, grilling over charcoal has to be done with care, but tastes wonderful.

If a bit hinky about ruining a fish over charcoal, "planking" is slower and works as well. It's an old Boy Scout trick where you split the fish, nail it to a board, and stand the board next to the campfire until the fish is done. Radiant heat, not direct flame, cooks the fish and you still get some smoke flavor.

And, of course, there's always fish&chips.