Blackened cod with polenta, Cajun style
~15 minon the hobUSAGluten-free
506kcal
42 gprotein
55 gcarbs
11 gfat
5 gfibre
The numbers are for one adult serving, based on someone who burns about 2,550 kcal a day. The app scales the portion to you and to everyone at the table.
| of the pot | kcal | protein | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tombulking | 49% | 735 | 54 g |
| Emmagetting lean | 27% | 406 | 39 g |
| Jackgrowing | 24% | 355 | 29 g |
Sample household. Numbers worked out by the app’s model.
Ingredients
Serves
- Frozen cod / white fish fillet180 g
- Polenta (coarse cornmeal)60 g
- Semi-skimmed milk100 ml
- Butter8 g
- Spring onions, bunch1 bunch
- Frozen cod / white fish fillet360 g
- Polenta (coarse cornmeal)120 g
- Semi-skimmed milk200 ml
- Butter15 g
- Spring onions, bunch2 bunches
- Frozen cod / white fish fillet720 g
- Polenta (coarse cornmeal)240 g
- Semi-skimmed milk400 ml
- Butter30 g
- Spring onions, bunch4 bunches
From your store cupboard
Chilli flakesDried oreganoBlack pepperSaltSmoked paprikaGround cumin
If you can’t get it
- Polenta (coarse cornmeal) → fine cornmeal works the same, just cook it a few minutes longer
Method
- Let the cod thaw — overnight in the fridge, or in a hurry in a sealed bag in cold water in 30 minutes, never in warm. Pat the thawed fish thoroughly dry with kitchen paper; spice won’t stick to wet fish and it steams in the pan instead of blackening.
- Pour the polenta in a thin stream into 250 ml of boiling salted water with the milk, stirring. Instant polenta is ready in 2–3 minutes and that’s the timing the recipe assumes; ordinary coarse cornmeal needs 30–40 minutes. Stir it every couple of minutes and add hot water if it thickens too far. It’s ready when it comes away from the sides of the pan and a spoon stands in it for a moment. Stir in the butter at the end and keep it covered somewhere warm.
- Mix a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of oregano, the chilli, salt and pepper. That’s your Cajun spice, and it can be mixed up a month ahead.
- Pat the fish dry with a tea towel and coat it in the spice on all sides. Dry fish is the condition — spice won’t stick to wet fish.
- Get the pan very hot, lay the fish in and cook 3 minutes each side. The spice will blacken — that’s the point, “blackened” means precisely this.
- Serve on the polenta and scatter with chopped spring onion.
- Let the cod thaw — overnight in the fridge, or in a hurry in a sealed bag in cold water in 30 minutes, never in warm. Pat the thawed fish thoroughly dry with kitchen paper; spice won’t stick to wet fish and it steams in the pan instead of blackening.
- Pour the polenta in a thin stream into 500 ml of boiling salted water with the milk, stirring. Instant polenta is ready in 2–3 minutes and that’s the timing the recipe assumes; ordinary coarse cornmeal needs 30–40 minutes. Stir it every couple of minutes and add hot water if it thickens too far. It’s ready when it comes away from the sides of the pan and a spoon stands in it for a moment. Stir in the butter at the end and keep it covered somewhere warm.
- Mix a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of oregano, the chilli, salt and pepper. That’s your Cajun spice, and it can be mixed up a month ahead.
- Pat the fish dry with a tea towel and coat it in the spice on all sides. Dry fish is the condition — spice won’t stick to wet fish.
- Get the pan very hot, lay the fish in and cook 3 minutes each side. The spice will blacken — that’s the point, “blackened” means precisely this.
- Serve on the polenta and scatter with chopped spring onion.
- Let the cod thaw — overnight in the fridge, or in a hurry in a sealed bag in cold water in 30 minutes, never in warm. Pat the thawed fish thoroughly dry with kitchen paper; spice won’t stick to wet fish and it steams in the pan instead of blackening.
- Pour the polenta in a thin stream into 1.0 l of boiling salted water with the milk, stirring. Instant polenta is ready in 2–3 minutes and that’s the timing the recipe assumes; ordinary coarse cornmeal needs 30–40 minutes. Stir it every couple of minutes and add hot water if it thickens too far. It’s ready when it comes away from the sides of the pan and a spoon stands in it for a moment. Stir in the butter at the end and keep it covered somewhere warm.
- Mix a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of oregano, the chilli, salt and pepper. That’s your Cajun spice, and it can be mixed up a month ahead.
- Pat the fish dry with a tea towel and coat it in the spice on all sides. Dry fish is the condition — spice won’t stick to wet fish.
- Get the pan very hot, lay the fish in and cook 3 minutes each side. The spice will blacken — that’s the point, “blackened” means precisely this.
- Serve on the polenta and scatter with chopped spring onion.
How to tell it’s done
- Frozen cod or other white fish fillet — Done when the flesh turns white and falls into flakes under a fork.
Allergens: Lactose, Milk (7), Fish (4)
