Cod Recipes: Easy Pesto Cod, Steamed Cod

I love pesto. It’s one of my favorite sauces. I look forward to making homemade pesto every summer when the hubby harvests me some basil. But now that we bought Cappuccino the bunny an AeroGarden my pesto horizons have broadened. We bought the AeroGarden to grow romaine for our spoiled little rescue rabbit but now that I can pick him wild lettuces he prefers them. I can now grow basil to my heart’s content! I cut off quite a bit from the latest growth and make a batch and we have been enjoying it in various ways. Then I pulled out a piece of fish for dinner and started looking through cod recipes and decided I could make something up on my own. I came up with an easy pesto cod. I made it en papillote so it’s a delicious, moist steamed cod.

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Cod Recipes: Easy Pesto Cod

Serves 2

• 1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store bought, divided
• 2 TBS water
• 1 10 0z or two 5 oz cod fillets
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBS toasted pine nuts
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
• vegetable of choice

• • Preheat oven to 350
  • Tear off a sheet of parchment and fold it in half. open it up again and drizzle the olive oil in the center of one half.
  • Sprinkle both sides of the cod with the salt and place on top of the oil on the parchment.
  • Mix half of the pesto with 2 TBS water
  • Fold the the parchment over top and start sealing from one side by folding a piece, creasing it, folding a piece, creasing it until you only have about an inch left open. (as seen below)

• Pour the diluted pesto into the parchment packet and then seal. Place the packet on a baking sheet
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• To serve, carefully open the packet – the steam will be hot so open it away from you. If using one large fillet cut it in half. Place 1 cup of rice on the dish, top with either half of the larger fillet or one smaller fillet. Pour half the juices from the steamer packet over each and top with half of the remaining pesto.
• Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts
• Add side vegetable – I made roasted carrots

Cod Recipes: How Was the Pesto Steamed Cod?

Cod can be a dry fish and cooking it this way so it steams helps to keep it moist. I have to say cooking fish en papillote is my favorite way to cook it – I always get perfectly cooked, moist fish.  The last time I made this fish I made butter baked cod so the butter was the moisture aid in that recipe.

The pesto was a delicious accompaniment to the mild white fish and paired very well. The pine nuts added a welcome crunch. We both enjoyed this meal.

I have a little pesto left and I am considering making testaroli again – that is a dish worth the effort! I am so glad that I ordered a basil pod kit for the AeroGarden. I’ll have more basil soon so I can make even more pesto!

Cod Recipes: Easy Pesto Cod, Steamed Cod

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moist steamed cod with pesto

• Author: Patty @bookscookslooks.com
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Baking/Steaming
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store bought, divided
• 2 TBS water
• 1 10 0z piece of cod or two 5 oz fillets
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBS toasted pine nuts
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
• vegetable of choice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Tear off a sheet of parchment and fold it in half. open it up again and drizzle the olive oil in the center of one half.
• Sprinkle both sides of the cod with the salt and place on top of the oil on the parchment.
• Mix half of the pesto with 2 TBS water
• Fold the the parchment over top and start sealing from one side by folding a piece, creasing it, folding a piece, creasing it until you only have about an inch left open.
• Pour the diluted pesto into the parchment packet and then seal. Place the packet on a baking sheet
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• To serve, carefully open the packet – the steam will be hot so open it away from you. If using one large fillet cut it in half. Place 1 cup of rice on the dish, top with either half of the larger fillet or one smaller fillet. Pour half the juices from the steamer packet over each and top with half of the remaining pesto.
• Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts
• Add side vegetable – I made roasted carrots

Notes

Prep time includes time to toast the pine nuts

Keywords: cod recipes, pesto cod, steamed cod, cod en papillote, pesto recipe