Simple ways to cook fish

[Aunt Bea]

You could also poach the fish fillets on a bed of seasoned vegetables using a covered frying pan. This time of year thin sliced zucchini with some garlic and hot pepper flakes would be easy and inexpensive. You could also use baby spinach, green and red bell peppers, even sweet corn off the cob with a splash of heavy cream added just before serving.

 

[Addie]

One of my favorite techniques for cod (and other flaky white fish) is "en papillote," which is nothing more than fish wrapped in little individual foil or parchment packages that you bake in the oven.

Couldn't be easier. Preheat the oven to 400F. For each package, start with about 10-12 inches of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place a 4-6 oz piece of fish so it's sitting toward one end of the foil piece, lightly salt and pepper it, and put a pat of butter on top, or drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over it. Fold the foil over the top and seal the edges. If you're using parchment, you can crimp the edges or just staple it shut. Put the packages on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

If you want to get more creative, you can add a splash of white wine, a few sprigs of fresh herbs (chervil, dill, thyme), or a squeeze of lemon.

Oh yum! It has been eons since I did fish that way. Time to revive it.

 

[outRIAAge]

A piece of cod is a glorious thing. My favourite is Cod Pie, which I'll put up the recipe for, but you want something simple, and the recommendations here are excellent. En papillote is foolproof, and baking only slightly trickier. The famous Black Dog on Martha's Vineyard does/did excellent cod baked in rolled oatmeal, which needs just a little flour for adhesion.

But you don't even need heat to cook it. Slice it thin, toss with red onion slices and juice from two limes. Leave for 20 minutes, then drain. You'll notice that the cod turns opaque and looks cooked, because it is. Serve on tortillas with fresh cilantro, and call it ceviche.