Baked Cod with Tomato Sauce

Simple Cod Loin Recipe

Baked cod in a deliciously rich tomato and pepper sauce. 

Perfect for a midweek meal and easy on the washing up. I used cod loin fillets, but you could use any white fish fillet.

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*Post updated August 2023

A nice and simple healthy dinner - cod baked in a delicious sauce.

What's that, you don't like olives?

No worries, if olives are not your thing, just leave them out. 😉

Cooking for kids?

You might want to leave the chilli out and just use, say 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika and leave the hot paprika out altogether.

This sauce came about when I made Patatas Bravas, at the time of making the bravas sauce (salsa brava) I decided I'd try baking fish in it. Well as you can see it worked.

By the way, I have altered this sauce slightly from my recipe for bravas sauce, plus for this recipe, I didn't blend it.

Top Tips!

• Get yourself a dish just big enough to hold the fish and the sauce.

• If it's too big the fish may end up dry. My dish was 8x8 inches and 2 inches deep (20x20cm and 5cm deep)

• Be sure to use skinless and boneless fish filets, no one wants to eat soggy fish skin.

• As always, use good-quality tinned tomatoes otherwise your sauce won't be half as nice. I use the brand, Mutti.

• Be sure to buy chargrilled peppers in OIL and not vinegar! 

Pimentón de la Vera can be found in Sainsbury's or Waitrose or on Amazon. You use regular paprika but this one has such a lovely smoky taste.

Used by Rick Stein, Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver - this is the BEST paprika!

How to make tomato sauce for fish

Heat up a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the diced onion. Cook over low heat allowing the onions to soften but not coloured.

It'll take about 15 minutes but you will need to stir them from time to time. Remember they won't really get a chance to cook in the oven so make sure they're nice and soft.

Add in the chilli and garlic and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes before adding the tomato puree.

Cook for a further minute or so otherwise tomato puree will taste bitter.

Now add the hot and sweet paprika along with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add the tin of tomatoes including their juice and the peppers. Add the sherry, or red wine vinegar along with the sugar and stir well.

Add the water a little at a time, until the sauce is a nice consistency; I ended up using 200ml.

Add the olives and cook until the sauce is nice and hot. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning - does it need more sugar, paprika or vinegar etc? If so, now's the time to add it.

You can also add a pinch of dried red chilli flakes if you like things spicier.

Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan) Gas 7

Make sure the sauce is piping hot before adding it to the dish; otherwise, the fish will not cook properly and the whole dish will be cold.

Put the cod into the sauce, don't cover it because it won't look as nice. Drizzle the fish with a tiny amount of olive oil.

Bake uncovered on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes when pressed.

Serve straight away with boiled new potatoes and green beans, or whatever else you fancy.

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

baked cod in tomato sauce, baked cod loin recipe

fish, sauce, main

English

Yield: 2

Author: Jan Bennett

Baked Cod with Tomato Sauce

A deliciously rich tomato and pepper sauce cod but you can use any white fish.To serve 3 people, just add another cod fillet because I really think there is enough sauce.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Ingredients

You will need

• 2 nice-looking cod fillets (room temperature)
• olive oil
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1 medium heat green chilli - deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves - very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree (paste) if you're in the US
• 2 teaspoons Pimentón de la Vera - Picante (hot)
• 2 teaspoons Pimentón de la Vera - Dulce (sweet)
• pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1 400g tin of good quality tomatoes
• 170g jar drained weight, of chargrilled peppers in oil, not vinegar (well drained from the oil) and sliced.
• 1 and a half tablespoons of sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• approx 200ml water
• a few black olives - pitted
• * a pinch of dried red chilli flakes (optional)

Instructions

Cook the sauce

1. Heat up a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the diced onion. Cook over low heat allowing the onions to soften but not coloured.
2. It'll take about 15 minutes but you will need to stir them from time to time. *Remember they won't really get a chance to cook in the oven so make sure they're nice and soft.*
3. Add in the chilli and garlic and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes before adding the tomato puree and cook for a further minute or so otherwise tomato puree will taste bitter.
4. Now add the hot and sweet paprika along with a pinch of salt and pepper along with the tomatoes including their juice and the well-drained peppers.
5. Add the sherry or red wine vinegar along with the sugar and stir well. Add the water a little at a time, until the sauce is a nice consistency; I used 200ml.
6. Add the olives and cook until the sauce is nice and hot. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning - does it need more sugar, paprika, vinegar etc? If so, now's the time to add it. You can also add a pinch of dried red chilli flakes if you like things a little spicier.

Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan) 400gas 7

1. Get yourself a dish just big enough to hold the fish and the sauce. If it's too big the fish may end up dry. My dish was 8x8 inches and 2 inches deep (20cmx20cm and 5cm deep)
2. Make sure the sauce is piping hot before adding it to the dish; otherwise, the fish will not cook properly and the whole dish will be cold.
3. Put the cod into the sauce but don't cover it with the sauce. Drizzle the fish with a tiny amount of olive oil.
4. Bake uncovered on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes when pressed.
5. Serve straight away with boiled new potatoes and green beans, or whatever else you fancy.

Notes

Be sure to buy peppers in OIL and not vinegar!

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