Baked cod fillets with a parsley sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 Moray Seafoods Cod fillets.
• 50g Butter(soft).
• Salt and pepper.

For Parsley Sauce

• 40g Butter.
• 35g Flour.
• 500ml Milk.
• 1 bay leaf, 1 clove and some fresh grated nutmeg, parsley stalks.
• 4 tea spoons of chopped flat leaf parsley.
• Salt and milled white pepper.

Preparation

1. If cod fillets are frozen defrost in fridge using package guidelines ready for cooking.
2. Pick leaves off parsley stalks and slice through flat leaf parsley quite fine, use stalks for sauce, keep parsley for later.
3. Place milk on heat to infuse with the bay leaf, clove, nutmeg and parsley stalks. Once hot remove from heat and cover with a lid or cling film and leave for 10 minutes.
4. Make parsley sauce by melting butter and adding flour, cook until the mixture starts to break up a little over a low heat, add strained warm milk a little at a time stirring, beating in well to make a smooth glossy sauce. Bring to the boil and cook for a few minutes, check seasoning. Remove from heat and pass through strainer into a jug and cover directly on top of the sauce with cling film.

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C or Gas 7.Place the cod fillets, skin side up on a greased shallow tray ( lined with metal foil if you wish) and smear with soft butter.
2. Season with a little salt and pepper and place in oven to bake for 8 to10 minutes.
3. Towards the end of cooking time, re-heat sauce in micro-wave and add chopped parsley, place plates in oven to warm up.
4. Chef says: To test your fish is ready break the flesh side underneath a little to see flesh is opaque in side or use a temperature probe and take to 58-60C as guide.
5. Remove skin from fillets and place cod on plates sprinkle with a little Maldon salt, cover with parsley sauce.