Cod au Gratin is a traditional Newfoundland recipe with the star ingredient being, of course, cod! There’s a lovely béchamel, or white sauce, covering the fish. Then, it’s topped with cheese and breadcrumbs and oven baked until bubbly and golden brown. So comforting and delicious!
Hi friends!
Sharing an iconic Newfoundland recipe with you today: cod au gratin!
I just love sharing traditional Newfoundland recipes. Some of my favourites are salt cod fish cakes, boiled beans, crispy cod tongues and toutons (fried bread dough).
So what’s this traditional Newfoundland cod au gratin recipe all about?
Well, cod is the fish in Newfoundland. And cod au gratin is among the most popular traditional dishes of the province. You can find this recipe made at some time or another in practically everyone’s home in Newfoundland. It’s no wonder, it’s so comforting!
My Mother-in-law gave me these beautiful frozen cod fillets and they went to good use in this dish. Au gratin anything is never a bad thing, is it? I mean, cheese covered whatever and baked? Sign me up!
I like to add dill and lemon to my recipe. Not everyone’s version of cod au gratin has dill, but I love to add it because seafood and dill go so well together. It’s definitely a classic combo.
Another little twist that I like to do (just to take it one step further) is to add lemon zest to the sauce. I find that the freshness of the lemon and dill really brighten the dish.
How To Make Cod au Gratin
Full details on how to make this traditional Newfoundland cod au gratin are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Place cod in a casserole dish, season with some salt and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Warm milk in a saucepan for use shortly.
- In another saucepan, cook onion in a a little olive oil until softened.
- Add butter to the onion and melt, then stir in flour (the flour and butter, or roux, mixture helps thicken the sauce).
- Slowly add milk to the roux, cook until thickened a little, and season with salt, pepper, lemon zest and dill.
- Pour sauce mixture over cod, mixing in, and then top with cheese and bread crumbs.
- Bake until bubbly and golden brown.
- Once done, garnish with additional dill. Let rest, then serve and enjoy!
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Yes! While I prefer to make the cod au gratin, bake and enjoy the same day, you can definitely prep the recipe a day ahead if you like.
To prep ahead of time, you can make the recipe up to the point before baking. Then, simply cover it well and store in the refrigerator a day ahead. The next day, you can uncover and bake. You just may have to bake a little longer until heated through (as it was in the cold fridge).
What To Serve With Cod au Gratin
- Lemon wedges for squeezing over the servings (so good).
- Hot sauce dabbled over top for a little bit of spice is lovely.
- Serve with a mixed green salad to really make this a substantial meal.
- A thick slice of homemade bread. My favourite? Bread slathered in butter and drizzled with molasses. Trust me. It works with the cod au gratin.
Can This Recipe Be Served as an Appetizer?
Yes! Cod au gratin works as an appetizer as part of a multi-course meal. Of course, it’s substantial enough to easily be a meal in itself.
For this recipe, I made in one big dish. However, for presentation purposes it really looks nice cooked and served in little individual dishes.
This recipe yields about 4 servings for dinner or 6 appetizer servings.
Tips and Variations for Making This Cod au Gratin Recipe
- You can use either frozen or fresh cod fillets. As mentioned, if using frozen cod fillets, pre-cook a little to get rid of excess moisture. I find that cod, when frozen, releases a lot of moisture when cooked. By pre-cooking the cod, it gets rid of excess moisture so that lovely creamy béchamel sauce you have made doesn’t get watered down. If you are using fresh cod, you don’t have to pre-cook before baking the cod au gratin.
- Croissant bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs work in this recipe (regular bread crumbs are more traditional).
- Want an even richer sauce? Use equal parts milk and half-and-half (or cream) instead of all milk.
- Dill was used in this cod au gratin and it works so lovely with the fish. If you’d rather not use it, you can omit. Another yummy herb is thyme.
- Let the cod au gratin cool for a little after it’s baked before digging in. This gives things a chance to cool down a bit and set.
Hope you love this cod au gratin recipe as much as we do!
If you make this traditional Newfoundland cod au gratin recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Traditional Newfoundland Cod au Gratin
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds cod fillets (boneless and skinless), cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 large fillets)
- 1.25 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1.5 cups milk, use 2 cups if you want things more saucy
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, reserve lemon for wedges (4) for later
- 1 ¾ teaspoons dried dill (dill weed), divided (use less if you want less of a dill taste)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 croissant, made into bread crumbs (or 1 cup fresh bread crumbs)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place cod in a casserole dish (about 8-inch x 11-inch or something similar) and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Set aside until you make the sauce. See "Notes" below if using cod fillets that have been previously frozen.
- In a small saucepan on the stovetop, heat milk over low heat just to warm through (the milk will be used shortly for the sauce).
- Meanwhile, in another saucepan on the stovetop, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- To onion, add butter. Once the butter melts, add flour and stir to form a paste. Cook, stirring often, about 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add the warmed milk to this (½ cup at a time), whisking after each addition until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sauce mixture should coat the back of a spoon (mixture will be thick).
- To sauce mixture, add remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, lemon zest and 1.5 teaspoons of dill (you can use less, if you prefer). Stir to combine. Pour sauce mixture over cod, coating all fish. Stir to ensure mixture is incorporated well.
- Sprinkle cheddar cheese and croissant crumbs (or regular bread crumbs) on top of sauced fish mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
- Once done, sprinkle remaining ¼ teaspoon of dried dill over top. Let cool for about 20 to 30 minutes before serving (don't skip this; it allows things to settle). Serve with lemon wedges (if desired). Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition (estimate only)
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Danielle says
My go to recepie always makes this for Good Friday just finished preparing it for tomorrow
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
That’s fantastic to hear, Danielle! Thank you so much!
Judith Hurley says
I love this recipe! I add a bit of savoury and diced potatoes in with the fish – makes a great dinner with carrot and turnip.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Judith! Sounds like such a yummy meal. 🙂
Taylor says
Amazing recipe. Born and raised in NL and moved to AB over 20 years ago. This brought back great memories. Thank you!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you kindly, Taylor! That’s wonderful to hear!