Oh, fishy, fishy, fish...that went wherever I did go.

I love fish. I don't know why we don't have it more. Oh...yes, I do. It's expensive, and I'm always afraid I'm going to cook it wrong. I worry that it'll either turn out raw, or more likely, I'll over-correct and make it dry and rubbery, and then all that money will be wasted. But in a brave moment at the supermarket the other day, I bought a pound of Atlantic cod that looked good and was on sale (merely exorbitant, down from truly outrageous). Now what to do with it?

I surfed the web, and the first recipe I found for baked cod was this rather simple, cracker crumb-topped affair, where the fish is bathed in white wine, butter, and lemon, that looked easy and tasty. And it turned out GREAT! As an quick side, I steamed some of my favorite Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's (Israeli couscous, baby garbanzo beans, orzo, and red quinoa) with some sauteed shallot and green peas, as we had a deliciously, satisfying dinner in thirty minutes for about $3.50 a person. Not too shabby! The baked cod recipe--which can be made with any firm, white fish--is definitely a keeper and worthy of going into our regular dinner rotation.

Baked Cod with Cracker Crumb Topping
(Source: adapted from AllRecipes)

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 sleeve buttery round crackers such as Ritz®, crushed (I used some thin buttery cracker crisps like Cabaret)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 pound thick-cut cod loin (I used 2 half pound fillets)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 lemon, juiced (the other half cut in wedges)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place two tablespoons butter in a Pyrex baking dish in the oven to melt as it preheats (about three minutes). Meanwhile, melt another two tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir the crushed crackers into the melted butter and toast the crumbs in the pan for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the granulated garlic, lemon pepper, and the chopped parsley and green onion.

Remove baking dish from oven and coat both sides of cod in the melted butter. Pour the white wine all around the fish and squeeze half a lemon over the fillet(s). Place the cracker topping evenly on top of the fish. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. (I had to cover the baking dish loosely with foil for the last ten minutes to keep it from getting too brown.) Serve with lemon wedges.