Cod and Cockles is a traditional Irish recipe for a classic baked dish of of cod and cockle meats with a surround of potatoes and shallots. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Irish version of: Cod and Cockles.
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Here is a classic dish from Galway that was originally made with codling. In some places the cockles may be replaced by local mussels or with fried bacon bits.
Ingredients:
24 cockles (or 24 pieces of bacon)
8 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 shallots, peeled (but leave whole)
4 cod fillets or steaks
4 small sprigs of thyme
30g butter, melted
fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
lemon slices, to garnish
sprigs of thyme, to garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Wash and scrub the cockles thoroughly, discarding any that are open. Place in a saucepan and pour in just enough lightly-salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook, shaking the pan from time to time, until the cockles have just opened (about 6 minutes). Take off the heat and set aside until cooled sufficiently to handle.
If you don't have cockles or don't like shellfish you can use bacon bits instead. Simply fry these in a little butter until done to your liking then turn out onto a plate and use instead of the cockles in the steps below. Use the bacon frying juices instead of the cockle liquor.
Strain the cockles (reserve the cooking liquid) then remove the meats from the shells.
In the meantime, bring a pan of water to a boil, add the potatoes and shallots and parboil for about 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Arrange the cod fillets in a well-buttered casserole dish. Season each piece of fish well then sit a sprig of thyme on top. Surround the fish with the potatoes and shallots then spoon over the cockle meats and pour over the reserved cockle cooking liquor.
Melt the butter and pour over everything then cover the dish with a piece of buttered greaseproof (waxed) paper. Sit a piece of kitchen foil on top and crimp the edges to seal.
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cod fillets are cooked through and flake easily with a fork.
Remove the thyme sprigs, garnish with the chopped parsley and lemon slices. Serve immediately.
