039 / 75 · Chicken, Turkey and Fish Suppers

Cod and Sweetcorn Cracker-Top Bake

One 8×12 in (20×30 cm) fish bake, at least 3 qt/2.8 L;4 portions, each with boiled potatoes · Active 30 min · Total 1 hr 15 min

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Small cod pieces and sweetcorn sit in a light celery sauce beneath a buttered-cracker top. The fish is brought to its own cooking endpoint first, then the whole shallow bake is checked again after a short oven finish. Measured boiled potatoes are served alongside, so the crunchy cracker layer does not have to pretend to be the meal’s only starch.

Jump to ingredients

Drawn cod and sweetcorn cracker-top bake served with boiled potatoes.

A short bake begins with a prepared filling

Thaw frozen fish in the refrigerator and pat it dry before cutting. Similar pieces cook more evenly than a mixture of thick fillet ends and thin shreds. The sauce and corn are cooked before the fish enters. Fold the cod gently and stop the skillet stage once several thick pieces reach 145°F. A higher final casserole check still follows in the oven. Keep that stage short and measured rather than extending it to chase a dark crust; the crackers are already baked and only need a little additional color.

Cracker pieces are not dry breadcrumb powder

Use plain crackers and crush them roughly in a bag or bowl, leaving small irregular pieces. Their salt varies, so no extra salt is added to the filling. Melted butter coats the fragments and helps them color during the brief bake. A thick layer of fine powder would absorb sauce and form a paste. The cooked fish should remain in chunks under the topping. Turn the sauce with a broad spoon and avoid repeated stirring once the cod is in. The boiled potatoes can cook alongside the sauce stage; keep them covered and hot, then divide them fairly beside each serving.

Move a fish portion gently

Rest the pan briefly and lift through both filling and crackers, rather than tipping the whole dish. The topping will soften where it touches sauce, which is expected. A saved portion should be chilled promptly and used within the shorter fish deadline. This recipe’s ingredient list includes the potatoes shown beside the fish; no lemon wedge, salad or garnish is hidden in the illustration.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 2 oz waxy potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-in/2.5-cm pieces (500 g prepared)
  • 6 cups water (1.4 L), for potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons butter (45 g), divided:2 tablespoons/30 g for sauce and 1 tablespoon/15 g for crackers
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (120 g)
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced (100 g)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (25 g)
  • 1 1/2 cups milk (360 ml)
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock (120 ml)
  • 1 3/4 cups frozen sweetcorn (240 g)
  • 1 lb 5 oz skinless boneless cod, thawed if frozen, cut in 1-in/2.5-cm pieces (600 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 1/2 oz plain crackers, roughly crushed (70 g)

Set out

Oven, 8×12 in (20×30 cm) baking dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L, Large potato saucepan, 12-in/30-cm deep skillet, Colander, Whisk, Small microwave-safe bowl or pan for melting butter, Rimmed baking sheet, Suitable foil if needed, Food thermometer

Allergens

Fish: cod, Milk, Wheat, Celery; check cracker and stock labels. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Put the dish on a rimmed sheet. Bring potatoes and their water to a boil, simmer 15–18 minutes until tender, drain and keep covered and hot.
  2. Meanwhile melt 30 g butter in the skillet over medium-low heat. Cook onion and celery 8–10 minutes until soft. Stir in flour 1 minute, gradually whisk in milk and stock, then add corn and pepper. Simmer 5–6 minutes, or the corn packet time if longer, stirring until corn is cooked and sauce thickened.
  3. Fold cod pieces into the simmering sauce. Cook gently 5–7 minutes, turning carefully, until several thick pieces reach 145°F (63°C). Transfer the hot mixture to the baking dish without breaking the fish up.
  4. Melt remaining 15 g butter safely in the small bowl or pan. Mix with crushed crackers and scatter over the fish. Bake 10–15 minutes until topping is lightly golden and the center and several other spots reach 165°F (74°C). Shield loosely if needed while the center finishes.
  5. Rest 3 minutes. Serve one-quarter of the fish bake with one-quarter of the potatoes.

Use the potatoes as the side

Divide the 500 g potato batch among the four plates. Bread or rice is unnecessary to complete the stated meal and would be a separate addition.

A useful detail

The 75-minute total includes preparing fish and vegetables, overlapping potatoes with the sauce and a short oven stage. Cod reaches 145°F (63°C) in the sauce; the assembled casserole is then checked at 165°F (74°C). Do not extend the bake solely to darken crackers.

Another way

  • Replace cod with 600 g skinless boneless haddock in the same-size pieces, using the same fish and casserole endpoints and updating the fish label.

Keep it well

Refrigerate fish bake and potatoes in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 2 days or an earlier ingredient deadline. Reheat both to 165°F (74°C). Refrigeration is preferable to freezing this milk sauce and cooked fish; crackers soften after storage.