Baked Lemon Cod

I love fish.  Let me rephrase that - I love fish that isn't too fishy.  🐟😂 Obviously, there are some fish that are just naturally "fishy-er" than others.  I'm not talking about Surströmming or rakfisk - I'm talking about fish that's been sitting around so  long that it's converted enzymes and bacteria into trimethylamine.   As a general rule, I stay away from naturally strong smelling fish AND fish that's smelly because it's been sitting around too long.  

Since I'm not a professional fisherman and I can't smell the fish behind the fish counter, I have to rely on my fish monger to pick out fish for me that isn't too fishy.  I've learned to trust them to choose my fish and most of the time, they come through just fine.  There have only been a couple of occasions where I've ended up with strong smelling fish.  

There are things that you can do to counteract the strong odor of fish.  Some cooks soak their smelly fish in milk or lemon juice to neutralize the odor.  I haven't tried these technique because want my fish to still taste like fish - just not uber-smelly fish.  I'm kind of afraid that the process of deodorizing the fish might actually take away from the taste of the fish.  🐟

My go-to fish for the last couple of months has been cod for exactly those reasons.  My local supermarket stocks really great, fresh cod and they even put it on sale once a month so it's super reasonable.  It's never smelly.  It's very mild but it still tastes like fish.  Does that make ANY sense at all?  

As an added bonus, cod is super simple to prepare. A light dusting of flour and a drizzle of lemon is all it takes to make this delicious baked cod recipe.  This recipe is so good that even my meat-loving husband really enjoys this meal.  

Baked Lemon Cod
1 lb cod fish fillet
1/4 cup butter or margarine melted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
paprika

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Melt butter and whisk in lemon juice. 

Dip cod filets in butter mixture.  

Coat with flour mixture. 

Place in an ungreased baking pan.  

Pour remaining butter mixture over fish.  ​Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 30 minutes (depending on thickness) at 350.  

Now that I've mastered my cod cooking skills, I need to work on my fish photography skills.  I don't feel like these pictures captured the delicious flavor of this cod.  It was so light and flaky and not too fishy.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

Ciao.  

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