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!
Tim
Want to start collecting recipes unique to Newfoundland.
J.B
I never made this recipe in particular, only here as I made the recipe myself tonight for supper, and when I do I always search up ways to elevate my cooking. I wanted to share my version of spice blend. I find 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp oregano and 2 tbsp Parmesan added to the white sauce elevates the recipe for me. Everything else is essentially the same.
From another NL’er 🙂
Sharon Melrose
I made this recipe with dill and it was very tasty. I also added savory to my panko crumbs, delish. I am making it again today and I put thyme in this time. I want to see how it tastes compared to the one with dill. I will definitely be making this a staple recipe in my house. Thank you!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thanks so very much, Sharon! Love to know how you enjoy the thyme version. Sounds like a yummy twist!
Regina
Made it this morning and it’s delicious!!! As I said in a previous post I didn’t pre cook the thawed cod but I did use paper towel to dry it.
It is definitely going to be a weekly meal, it’s my first time making it and the recipe is perfect it was delicious
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Your comment put a big smile on my face! Thank you very much, Regina. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Gwen
Excellent recipient, use extra sauce recipie.
Lorraine Walsh
I have this 8n the oven right now. I hope I did everything correctly and it tastes as good as yours looks. Ty for the recipe.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
That’s wonderful to hear, thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Catherine
This was excellent. I will definitely be making this again and again.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thanks for trying the recipe, Catherine! That’s wonderful to hear!
Eliza from Ohio
Thank you so much for sharing this, and especially for the tip about pre-baking the frozen cod. Having seen how much liquid comes out of it, I would have wound up with a soggy mess if I had skipped that step. Anyway, it was delicious and will become a regular fish dish around here. One tweak that worked out really well: I had no bread crumbs so I used crushed up Ritz Crackers and they were awesome.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much for trying the recipe! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Crackers sound like a yummy substitute for the bread crumbs. 🙂
Regina
Have this in the oven right now, I didn’t pre cook the frozen cod, I thawed and Paper towel it several times, let’s hope it turns out ok!!
Samantha Roberts
Recipe turned out delicious i am usually just a shell fish person but when we tried this recipe this evening I did enjoy it and my husband loved it we also had it with mashed potatoes. It was a keeper for sure that got written down in my recipe book for next time.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Samantha!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed the recipe!! Sounds like a delicious pairing with mashed potatoes. 🙂
Pamela Dennis
Do you cover in the oven?
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Hi Pamela! The cod au gratin is baked uncovered. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Brian
Loved this recipe!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thanks very much, Brian!!
Jane
Hi there. Love this recipe (anytime I can get my hubby to eat fish then I know it’s a good recipe lol). Anyway – question. I have some leftover. Have you ever frozen the Cod au Gratin after it’s cooked? Thanks in advance!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks so much, Jane!! I haven’t frozen the cod au gratin after it’s cooked, so I can’t say for sure, but I would imagine that it wouldn’t have the same creaminess once frozen, thawed and reheated. Plus, the fish may become overcooked. Hope that helps!!
Carol
Dawn I had to give you a shout out. I made your cod au gratin recipe. The aroma in the kitchen was so inviting and the taste was even better. The dill and lemon was such a lovely addition. Definitely a keeper in our home.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
That’s so wonderful to hear!! Thank you very much, Carol!!
Karen
Hi Dawn, I tried your recipe and it was very close to the cod au gratin I tried when I was in Nfld. at a little restaurant called the K Cafe across from the Delta. It’s no longer there but I’d love to know how it was prepared.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Hi Karen, I can’t say I’ve tried the cod au gratin from that restaurant, but I hope you enjoyed my recipe!!
Brian
As an ex-pat Newfoundlander, I have been making this recipe for friends in AB. Enjoyed by everyone!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Brian!! I’m so happy everyone enjoyed the recipe!!
Elisabeth Pope
Want to try this for a dinner party appetizer for 10, is there special instructions or can I just double the recipe?
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Hi Elisabeth! I haven’t doubled the recipe before but would imagine there wouldn’t be too much to change. Just keep in mind that it may take a little longer to make your sauce (because there’s more liquid to thicken). Also, ensure you use a large enough baking dish to fit everything. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!
Elizabeth
Newfoundlander living in Ontario. I was in the mood for cod au gratin as it’s been awhile since I last made it. I decided to look for a new recipe instead of using my tried and true old one. I made some tweaks to the recipe because of what ingredients I had on hand. I only had frozen haddock on hand so I decided to use that. I did follow your tip with regards to using frozen fish. I didn’t have any breadcrumbs or bread that I would use to make breadcrumbs, so I used a box of chicken stuffing mix and used 3/4 cup of water in that instead of the 1 cup it called for as l didn’t want the crumbs to be too soggy. I used 3/4 cup of milk instead of 1/2 cup because I like my sauce to be loose rather than thick. I didn’t use any seasoning accept pepper because the stuffing is already well seasoned. It turned out amazing and will be the recipe I follow from now on.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Hi Elizabeth! It’s great that you were able to tweak the recipe to use what you had on hand. I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thanks very much!!