Cod au Gratin. A Newfoundland Favourite.
Cod au Gratin. New video recipe!! One of our most popular recipes in 15 years online. This version is easy to prepare and gets rave reviews every time.
Originally posted April 2008.
2022 update. This recipe has seen millions of hits over the years, driven by it being mentioned in the Broadway musical Come from Away. Plenty of folks have found Rock Recipes from it and we are happy to welcome you all here.
Some will flinch at the suggestion of fish and cheese together, I get that. But this Cod au Gratin is one of the most requested recipes I've had on Rock Recipes.It's a dish that has been made here in Newfoundland for a long time. I think the mild neutral flavour of cod actually lends itself well to being paired with cheese.
As long as the cheese flavour is not too strong, that is. You can substitute many mild cheeses like mozzarella or even gruyere to make your own favourite version of this recipe.
A real crowd favourite.
This is a favourite thing for Spouse and I to serve when we have friends or family over for dinner. When it's really casual we will cook and serve this in a covered casserole dish
When we want to serve it as individual portions though, I like to cook and serve it in individual gratin dishes
By request for a reader who is feeling a little homesick this week. This is a pretty basic recipe but still has plenty of flavour. Hope you enjoy!
2017 Update: This recipe has proven to be one of the most popular of the past 10 years on Rock Recipes.
I cannot count the number of times that someone has mentioned it to me online and in person at book signings and other events. If you're a cod fan, this is definitely a must-try recipe.
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Cod au Gratin
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh cod fillets
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to season
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 1 teaspoon summer savoury, dill or tarragon make good substitutions
- 1 ½ cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Scald the milk in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes until just under the boiling point.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan add the butter and flour and cook together for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the scalded milk whisking constantly.
- Cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the lemon zest, Dijon mustard, savoury and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Parmesan cheese just before pouring onto the fish.
- Arrange the fish in the bottom of a greased 9x9 inch baking dish or in individual gratin dishes. Pour the sauce over the fish. Top with the cheddar cheese.
- Mix the cracker crumbs with the olive oil and sprinkle over the cheese. (You can add a little extra savory to the crumbs if you like, about ½ tsp). Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees F until bubbling and the top has evenly browned. Individual gratin dishes should take about 25 -30 minutes, just check the center to see that the fish has fully cooked
Notes
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
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Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 573Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 183mgSodium 818mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 5gProtein 65g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
I make this dish at least once a week ever since I discovered this recipe last year. It is by far the very best Cod au gratin recipe EVER!!!!! Love it!!
I made this last night .... all family members declared it to be the best Cod Au Gratin recipe they'd ever eaten!!! I'll be making it again VERY SOON, Barry!
This is a fabulous recipe. The mustard gives it some zip, and I will be making this again tonight. Love!
We've made this a number of times now and all agree this is an excellent Au Gratin! We've added mushrooms and peppers too.
I love cod au gratin and have been craving this. One question - can I make it and reheat it the next day without sacrificing too much when it comes to the sauce? I know flour based sauces can get gluey after cooling. Any feedback would be appreciated.
You can leave it and it will still be delicious the next day. I have frozen portions of mine and they are still awesome.
I agree with Nadine
I don't recommend that Sarah. This will always be at it's best when cooked and served fresh.
I usually boil the cod first. In this recipe it doesn't say to boil fish first. Do you need to cook the cod or just add it in cold?
I never have. Boiling fish takes most of the flavour away.
Do you think the recipe would go well with haddock instead ?
Yes. I made it last night with fresh Haddock. It was marvelous.
Yes I tried it last night and it was wonderful.
I have made it with haddock several times and it tastes delicious!
@Omar Kanouté, I have made this many times and always used haddock.
Haddock will be fine as well.
Thank you for the reply. I have tried it before with cod and loved it. Will give it a try with haddock and see how it turns out.
Cheers
Just wondering if it would be ok to substitute the whole milk for evaporated milk in this recipe? This will be my first attempt at making this dish myself.
Sure as long as you reconstitute it with an equal amount of water to make the total amount needed.
No nononono
its just as good the next day.
This is one of my very favorite dishes ... EVER
<3
Glad you like it. I just find the sauce creamiest when it's first cooked.
I have often made an extra amount of this dish and frozen it , the results ? Just as good second time around.
Before baking it or after?
@Barry C. Parsons, I often do this, but freeze before baking. It's not quite the same as baked fresh, but great to have a go to meal in the freezer. I only freeze it for a week or two.
Hi I was wondering if I could add slice up onion to this dish
I don't see why not. I'd use a mild onion though.
Would love to try this but cod is very expensive here in BC. We have lots of sockeye salmon now very reasonable,might try with the salmon.What do you think?
Hmmm...it's worth a try to see if you like it. The only thing I'd worry about is strong cheese flavor with the salmon. Maybe the sauce should be more neutral. Maybe use mozzarella instead of cheddar and no parmesan (or just a little) I think I might add sweet onions if using salmon too. Hmmmm...might have to try that myself. 🙂
I chopped a small onion very finely and softened it in the butter before adding the flour and proceeding with the rest of the sauce, and I was pleased with the added flavour. I was also in a place where I didn't have and couldn't get Dijon mustard, so instead I put in 1 tsp. dry mustard with the flour, and it worked quite well.
The big drawback for most seafood recipes is that FRESH fish is not affordable or available to the majority of us. Here in the Midwest frozen fish is what we have available.Recipe authors tend to take a dim view of frozen fish. For people sending in fish recipes it is something to keep in mind! Not everyone has the option of fresh fish.There is almost a snobbish attitude toward frozen fish, So please remember when sending in your favorite recipe that we are not all coastal dwellers. Make sure your recipe has some frozen option (before or after cooking) for frozen fish. And when you say grace be sure to say thanks for where you live to be able to enjoy lovely fresh food.
@Gerri, I have made this wit fresh alaskan Red salmon,(with sliced onion) and it was delisious,My Uncle that ia a avid alaskan fisherman said it was Very good!
Just got back to Edmonton from the Rock with a cooler full of cod.This is gonna be the first recipe I make.Love Cod every way and this recipe looks addictive.
I'm jealous of your cooler! Enjoy.