This is a recipe my mum made in the 60s and 70s. It was delicious, but not the most healthy of meals .
you need a nice fillet of cod divided in half but you can put in more , basically you would layer sliced onions and tomatoes and potatoes and place the cod in between the layers ,also place knobs of butter as you build up the layers , use a covered casserole dish and put this all in a hot oven cook for about an hour ( covered) then remove the lid to allow the dish to brown off , then serve and eat , you use a whole pack of butter in the dish and mum’s secret was the cod cooks up a nice sauce with the butter and it all creates a rich sauce but sometimes the dish can be salty cos of the butter so add some black pepper and avoid using any extra salt till you taste the dish, also you need enough sliced potatoe for about three layers.
How would you adapt the recipe for a more health conscious era?
That is delicious, but it is essentially deep frying the entire thing. To make it healthier, I would brush the surfaces with melted butter, cover the dish in foil, and bake at 350 [not sure the celsius conversion] for about 20 minutes if you wanted soft veggies and tender fish.
To make it crisper, you can remove the foil and broil it for a bit.
Honestly @firemonkey, the butter’s going to make it delicious… I agree with @Andrey, don’t change a thing! Cod is a notoriously dry fish, so having the butter there will keep it moist. Enjoy!
Okay that was just off the top of my head. But I realize it doesn’t create the sauce you envisioned. So you could layer the caserole dish, then in a bowl mix a cup of vegetable broth, a tablespoon of unsalted melted butter, and a tablespoon of corn starch or flour. Pour that over top. If it doesn’t cover the top layer, just add more veggie broth. Then cook as usual.