What to do with a big piece of a big white fish? Cod, haddock, hake, pollock and ling – flat expanse of boneless flesh on unappetisingly leathery skin, often as not more expensive than sole. The most common destination for them is into the deep fat fryer via batter – and I’d maliciously agree that this kind of fish is bland enough to have to be brutally fried.
There’s no point in delicately herbing, marinating or teriyakiing those specimen – they are immune to flavouring that make a bass or bream an enchanting feast. They won’t be sashimied or ceviched, let alone tartared. Not too sure why, probably because the texture would be wrong – not firm enough. And let nobody try throwing that big fillet on the barbecue or grill: I have once and had to forever scrub the racks afterwards.
The only good thing about bland fish is that it makes a good comfort dish. Stick it into a fish pie, smother it with mornay, make it into fishcakes. Or bake it with lots of sliced potatoes, just like here. The dish creator, Mark Bittman of NY Times Cooking, claims it’s beloved of his young daughter (children like bland, it figures). And I immediately thought that it was awesome – deconstructed fish and chips without the need for vats of boiling oil, batter or the all-permeating smell.
Of course the potatoes will have to be cooked through and crisp, almost finished, before the cod lands on them. And in actual fact I sometimes take a look at them and think they might well go without that cod…