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 just had a question. I live in the middle of nowhere and only do my shopping once every 2wks if I get to town that often so my question is can I or would the recipe be just as enjoyable if used frozen cod or haddock instead of fresh?
Yes, I have made it many times with frozen fish.
If using frozen fish, do you thaw first?
Yes.
I bookmarked this recipe so that I could come back and make it AGAIN! The last time was a year or so ago now, but I haven't forgotten that it's hands down the best Cod Au Gratin recipe ever. 🙂 I am so looking forward to it. With the food Newfoundland fishery just closed recently, (the government allows Newfoundlanders to catch a limited number of Cod each day for a period of time that is usually in the neighbourhood of around two weeks that number being usually up to 5 fish per day, per person, in a single boat with a maximum of fifteen fish per boat trip, irregardless of the number of people in the boat on said outing!), and a freezer offering up fresh frozen cod to me, I'm salivating with baited breath in anticipation of tonights fare!! Thanks again for having posted this.
You're very welcome Shawn. I recently reshot the photos for this recipe for my new cookbook that's coming out in a few weeks. Hope you enjoy all that cod! Barry.
Not only is this good the day after, I often make & freeze it. This works well also.
@sylvia, I find it is marginally better, if you just prep. the meal, and put it into a freezer to oven container. Bake when you want a quick meal.
Can I repeat Barry's question here? People who freeze this dish, do you freeze before or after baking? I'm guessing before would be better -- I'm always looking for recipes to double for the freezer -- there's six of us and quel chore to cook for six from scratch every night of the week…
Did you boil or steam the fish beforehand? In most recipes I have seen, it is boiled beforehand and then layered with the sauce in the casserole dish and bread crumbs on top. I have had this with 3 or 4 different kinds of fish in it. Delicious!
I used to do that but really you are boiling away flavor. Yes the fish does leach moisture but I've allowed for that in the thickness of the sauce. You can always add a little more flour to the recipe if you like a very thick sauce.
I lived in NL for many years before relocating to Ontario. NL cod is gorgeous. But, you know, fresh NL cod is hard to come by if one does not live in NL. I make a version of cod-au-gratin with other varieties of fish - haddock, sole, even Atlantic salmon. I usually poach the fish for just a few minutes in the milk, to which I may add a bit of onion, then make a cheese sauce with the strained milk. Works very well. I'm making an au gratin next weekend as I have visitors, but don't know what fish I will make it with - depends on what is available when I do my shopping. What do you serve with it? I think french green beans go well, or even regular green beans, but what about a carb side dish. Do you think it would be too much to serve creamed potatoes.
Potatoes might be a bit much considering the creaminess of the dish but your choice.
Thanks for responding so quickly Barry. I had decided that potatoes would be a bit too much, and French green beans and fresh asparagus will be the side dishes. A fresh salad and crusty bread will be enough.
Brenda, i had rice as a side to my Cod au Gratin and it was awesome. I am making it again tonight with fresh haddock and scallops,, rice and green peas. I subsituted Carnation milk for whole milk and it was wonderful. I also used grated croissants instead of crackers for the crumb topping...delish!! Will let you know how this turns out.
@Mary Lou, cod or other fish take very little time to cook. When I make au gratin it goes in raw & the same with chowder, I have all my fish ready & put in at the last 5 mins for my chowder, it is cooked perfectly.
Wonder could I use coconut milk and not the whole milk??
Never tried that but let us know if you do. The flour is the thickening agent so theoretically it could work. Not so sure if the flavor works here though.
i boil my fish first is that a good idea?
I don't. You are removing a lot of the flavour of the fish and risk that it will be too dry in the gratin. If you like the sauce a little on the thicker side, just add a tad more flour to the recipe when you use raw cod. I think it's much better if you don't cook it first.
I made this for supper tonight and it was delicious! The only change I made was I used dill instead of savoury, because I didn't have any on hand. This is by far the best cod au gratin I have had and I've used different recipes and had it at several restaurants. Yummmmy!
Wow! That's a nice compliment. Thanks. I'm sure your kitchen skills deserve most of the credit. It is a popular recipe and is included in my upcoming cookbook from Breakwater Publishing.
My husband and I made this dish last weekend and are doing so again this week. It was fabulous. I just had a question regarding the savoury. Is it added to the sauce or the cracker mixture? It is on the ingredient list but not in directions.
Glad you enjoyed it. There was a slight error there when I recently reformatted the recipe; corrected now. It can go in both if you like. This recipe is also included in my new cookbook from Breakwater Publishing coming in the next few weeks!
Barry, can this be made and frozen before cooking?
I've never done it but other have said they cooked it and froze it.
In regards to the baking of the dish....covered or uncovered in the oven? 🙂
I always do it uncovered.
Where I live Cod is $24.59 US a pound. When it goes "on sale" and is "only" $14.99 a pound I buy enough for 4 individual ramekins. I cook them through, dine on one that evening, and then freeze the remainder wrapped in plastic and then foil. They never last longer than a couple of weeks before being scarfed down so don't know that maximum freeze time would be. I have reheated them from both frozen and thawed. Just keep checking the middle until it is hot through. Going to try this recipie next time cod is on sale.
Thank you!!!
Do you just place the fish on the bottom of the pan? Or do you cut first?
I do cut it into smaller pieces but it will work either way.
Not a fan of mustard, can I substitute it for something else ?
Nothing comes to mind that wouldn't overpower the flavour. You can omit it though.
im not a mustard lover either but it adds a really great flavour. I typically add 1/2 of what the recipe calls for. It's fine for our family 🙂
Never did my mother use lemon zest , Parmesan ,or mix olive oil with the cracker or bread crumbs when making cod au gratin!!!!
Not traditional to me and I am 59 yrs old.
Born and raised in nl
Calm down woman! LOL! It's not your mother's recipe, it's mine. There's more than one way to do anything...people love this recipe.
Yes!