Cod parcels with tomatoes and pesto

Name: Cod parcels with tomatoes and pesto
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: 4 x 150g pieces skinned cod loin or fillet; 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices; For the pesto; 15g fresh basil leaves; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1 tbsp pine nuts; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing; 1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan

Published: 31 Jul 06
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

This healthy cod and pesto recipe uses the French technique of cooking ‘en papillote’ – sealing in the flavour and goodness by baking in greaseproof paper parcels.

Serves 4
Takes 25 minutes to make and 8 minutes to bake

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Ingredients

4 x 150g pieces skinned cod loin or fillet
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices

For the pesto

15g fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing
1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9 or to its highest setting. Season the cod on both sides with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Make the pesto. Put the basil, garlic, nuts and oil into a mini food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan and season.
Cut out 4 x 38cm squares of both greaseproof paper and foil. Lay the paper squares on top of the foil on the work surface and brush lightly with olive oil. Overlap the tomato slices, slightly off-centre on the greaseproof paper, and season lightly. Spread the pesto over the tomatoes and rest the cod on top.
Fold 1 side of the paper and foil over the fish so that the edges meet. Starting at 1 open end, fold over the edge a few times and continue folding around the parcel, until it’s well sealed. Tap down well with a rolling pin for a better seal. Repeat to make 3 more parcels.
Place the cod parcels on a baking tray and bake for 8 minutes. Slit them open with a sharp knife and transfer the contents onto warm plates. Serve with olive oil mashed potatoes or steamed rice.

Recipe from August 2006 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 241kcals
Fat: 11.4g (2.1g saturated)
Protein: 30.4g
Carbohydrates: 4.4g (4.1g sugars)
Salt: 0.3g

delicious. tips

This will make more pesto than you need, but it will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and is great with pasta. You can buy reduced-fat pesto in most supermarkets.

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Cod parcels with tomatoes and pesto

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition

delicious. tips

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