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 whisk 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.
- Let cool slightly and garnish with additional dill. 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 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 or so. 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.
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!
Christina
Amazingly recipe! I’m a Newfoundlander & this recipe does not disappoint. I added scallops to make it more of a meal & it was delicious. I also just added the raw onion on top of the fish & they cooked great. One less pan to wash. I also added lemon juice I had because I didn’t have lemons to zest.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Christina! I’ve never made it with the addition of scallops before, but it sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Jenny
I grew up in Maine (northeast United States) and loved to get haddock au gratin. Now I live in the midwest and frozen cod is the only whitefish I can find. I tried this recipe last night for dinner, and this is the best au gratin I have ever tried! My entire family loved it, and this dish is definitely going into the dinner rotation.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Oh my goodness, thank you very much, Jenny! Your comment made my day! So happy that you and your family loved the recipe!!
Jackie
I tried this recipe for a change instead of my usual one. I had family visiting from Ontario and we definitely agreed this was a keeper! I served corn and homemade bread as sides. Delicious!! This will replace my usual cod au gratin recipe.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Wow, thank you very much, Jackie!! Sounds like such a delicious meal, and I’m so happy you all enjoyed the recipe!!
Sue
Made this for dinner last night, and had some of the leftovers for lunch today. It is very good. I did not have dried dill so used a sprinkle of seafood seasoning and parsley. Will use the dill next time.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Sue!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
Dianne Thompson
My lovely neighbour here in Ontario gave us many bags of frozen cod. My husband said this was one of the best fish dishes he has ever had. I did a few things differently: I added cubed cooked potatoes and shrimp because my neighbour told me the cod would then taste like lobster. Instead of using several pots for the sauce, I sauteed the onion in butter in a large bowl in the microwave, cooked in the flour, then added the milk, lemon, dill, etc and cooked on half power and stirring frequently until thickened. Serendipity: I had a stale croissant on the counter 🙂
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Wow, thank you very much, Dianne!! So happy you and your husband enjoyed the recipe!!
Dford
I done exactly what you did. Best I have ever eaten. Delicious. Thanks for recipe. 😊
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much!! That’s wonderful!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!!
Darlene Macy
Could I had a little rice to this dish?
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
I’ve never heard of adding rice to cod au gratin (or tried myself), so I can’t say for certain how it would turn out. You can certainly give it a try if you like!
AnneWK
I grew up across from Windsor, Ont., where my dad actually worked and became a Canadaphile American. I’ve followed as it happened the story of the Plane People as one of the greatest acts of humanity in those first terrible days. So, I wanted to make a classic Newfoundland dinner on 9/11/21 to respect that contribution to our healing along with remembering all of the loss. This was delicious. Thank you.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
I’m incredibly humbled that you decided to make my cod au gratin recipe. It really warms my heart. Thank you very much, and I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!!! It was such a terrible moment in history and will never be forgotten. I hope you and your family are doing well. Again, thanks so very much.
MONTY
Tried with small change – used 1/3 smoked cod and 2/3 fresh cod and used a fairly thick béchamel sauce with cheese topped with bread crumbs. Unfortunately smoked cod is not always available even in Newfoundland but you can use smoked whitefish instead if available (I would not recommend smoked salmon). I have served this to guests as an appetizer many times with great success.
Try it and you will be rewarded with a unique taste sensation.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Interesting change to the recipe! I do enjoy smoked fish, but can’t say that I’ve ever tried cod au gratin with it. Bet it’s yummy!
Eileen
Cod a gratin in the oven, can’t wait!!!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
That’s awesome!! Hope you enjoy the recipe, Eileen!!
Robin Cosby
We visited NL in the summer of 2018 and happily ate a LOT of cod. But, we never choose Cod au Gratin! (Too many other choices!!) Fast forward to 2021, living in the middle of the US during a P and can’t get much good fish. But, I CAN get reasonably good cod. Made your recipe, with minor variations, and LOVED it! Definitely a “stick to your ribs” fish dish for cold weather. Hubby loved the toast and molasses side, too!!!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
That’s awesome, Robin – so happy you both enjoyed the recipe! Thanks very much!!
Diane
I’m a Newfoundlander and have always struggled with making a flavourful cod au gratin. Until now! Even my husband said it was the best he ever had. Next time I make it though, I will cut back on the salt a little bit.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Hi Diane – thank you very much! So happy you both enjoyed the recipe! Your comment made my day!!
Mary
I can’t wait to make this! I just saw the musical “Come From Away” and now I’m obsessed with all things Newfoundland.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Mary! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Keira
Can this be made ahead of time and frozen?
Girl Heart Food
I wouldn’t recommended making ahead and freezing. It can certainly be made ahead and refrigerated prior to the final bake, though (if you want to make the day before). Hope you like it 🙂
Chris
This looks delicious! I plan to make this for a Canadian Theme dinner with a group of friends. I will double the recipe. Do you think I can put it together a day ahead and bake just before serving, or will it get watery?
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Chris! I think that would be a-ok 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Chris
Thanks, Dawn! I made this a day ahead, adding the breadcrumbs just before baking. It worked out great! Loved all the lemon and dill in this dish. Thanks for sharing this excellent recipe.
Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Chris! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!! Have a great day 🙂
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
What a delicious dish! I’ve never had cod like this but I can’t wait to try it!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Shadi! It’s quite popular around here 🙂 Hope you get a chance to try it out!
Erik
Cauliflower is so tasty! The topping on this looks fantastic. 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Erik 🙂
Leslie
Mmmm. I fell in love with cod when on my honeymoon in Spain, but never thought to turn it into a gratin. Sounds like the perfect easy comfort food recipe. Yum!
Girl Heart Food
It’s so popular around here and definitely a favourite! Hope you get a chance to try this one out 🙂 Thanks Leslie!