Newfoundland cod au gratin
55 min · 47 g protein · 529 cals / serving
The dish every Newfoundland kitchen knows: big flakes of cod baked in a creamy white sauce under a bubbling lid of old cheddar and crumbs. Made with 1 % milk and a sharp cheese that does a lot with a little, and served the way restaurants on the Rock do, with boiled potatoes and peas.
Ingredients
To serve
- 600 g (1 1/3 lb) gold potatoes, peeled, halved
Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) 1 % milk 1% milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- a pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 90 g (1 cup) grated old cheddar sharp cheddar cheese, half for the sauce, half for the top
- 700 g (1 1/2 lb) cod fillets cod, skinless, in large chunks
Top
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
To serve
- 300 g (2 cups) cooked frozen green peas
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Steps
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Put the potatoes on to boil in salted water; they take about 20 minutes and can cook while you make the sauce and bake.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and soften the onion 4 minutes. Stir in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk a little at a time until smooth. Simmer, whisking, 3–4 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Off the heat, stir in the mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper and half the cheddar until melted.
- Lay the cod in a 20 x 28 cm (8 x 11 in) baking dish, pour the sauce over and scatter with the rest of the cheddar and the breadcrumbs.
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, the top is golden and the cod flakes easily and reaches 145°F. Rest 5 minutes; the sauce thickens as it stands.
- While it rests, cook the peas 3 minutes in boiling water and drain the potatoes. Serve the gratin with the potatoes and peas, with parsley over the top.
Good to know
Can I use frozen cod?
Yes. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and pat it very dry, or its water thins the sauce. Haddock or pollock work just as well.
Can I make it richer?
The classic uses whole milk and more cheese. With whole milk it is creamier, at about 61 instead of 64.
Can I make it ahead?
Make the sauce up to a day ahead and chill it. Assemble with the raw cod just before baking, and give a cold sauce 10 minutes longer.
Per
- Calories
- 98
- Protein
- (37%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (25%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (39%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 133 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2116 kcal goes into the pot and 2350 g of ingredients comes out as about 2150 g of food: 98 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.