Cod with Shiitake-Bacon Crust

Truth be told, I never ate seafood as a kid. In fact, it wasn’t until I met my husband a little over 10 years ago that I even gave the stuff a try. My palate has certainly grown over the years, along with my love of cooking. Now, I love a variety of seafood, and we eat it in some form at least two times a week in our home. It’s almost entirely replaced chicken in that regard, something I’m not sure I ever expected.

I love this recipe because it feels indulgent, but the ingredient list is short (5 ingredients, not including salt/pepper or olive oil) and the preparation simple. It’s plant-forward, but don’t worry if you don’t love mushrooms – the bacon and arugula offer a wonderful balance of flavors, so they don’t overpower the dish.

To start, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grab a skillet and do a quick saute of your chopped bacon (who doesn’t like bacon?) and sliced shiitake mushrooms.

About 5 minutes is all you need –  just until the mushrooms begin to wilt. Set aside the mixture and let it cool, about 10 minutes.

Place cod fillets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I love the pre-cut pop-ups – you can grab some here) and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Once the bacon-mushroom mixture has cooled, spoon it into a food processor (I actually used my Ninja mini chopper) and pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped.

Top fillets with the bacon-mushroom mixture and press slightly onto the top of the fish. Sprinkle with olive oil and place in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Next, set the oven to broil and allow fillets to broil for 3-4 minutes.

While the fish broils, heat a skillet over medium-high and add olive oil. Add garlic and sliced shiitake mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms begin to wilt. Add arugula and cook for an additional minute. Transfer the mixture onto a plate and top with the cod.

Tada! Beautiful and delicious. A perfect dinner.

Intrigued? Go grab the full recipe from Cooking Light here.