Oven Fried Cod with Cara Cara Oranges

We are still in the middle of Cara Cara season, my favorite type of oranges! But you’d best get out to the store soon to find them, since they will gone again before you know it. And you shouldn’t miss the chance to make this tasty salsa that’s a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, a little bit spicy and all yummy.

Though of course you can use regular Navel oranges, so don’t feel you can’t make this in May when the Cara Caras are gone! It won’t be quite the same, but you can’t go wrong with a combo of avocados, oranges, onions, and ginger.

After making my awesome Cara Cara Orange Bundt Cake, I thought about what else to make with the oranges while I still had them, and I kept thinking they would make a great salsa along with some creamy avocados to provide contrast. It took me a couple of tries to get the flavor profile just right, but I didn’t mind since the salsa is so quick and simple to make. I can easily put together a bowl of this while my fish is cooking and still have time left to toss together a salad.

In fact, this whole meal is quick and simple to make. Twenty minutes start to finish and you can have a well balanced and flavorful dinner on the table.

I should probably talk a little about the fish here. While you can have the orange salsa with any number of different types of fish and preparations, I decided to pair it with a nice, thick cod fillet and prepare it in with my favorite method. Pan-searing fish can be tricky, and I know well that if the temperature isn’t right or the stars aren’t aligned, it’ll stick and there goes your nice crust. Frustrating!

Breading gives insulation from that sticky mess, but it’s time consuming and rather messy itself. So, I split the difference and bread part of the fish. 🙂 This way all you do is quickly dip one side of the fish into the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs and then you’re done. It’s so easy! Brown that side; flip it over and finish it in the oven. This is a meal that is great for a weeknight, while being tasty and impressive enough looking for company.

And it was a great meal to usher in our new dishwasher! The previous dishwasher died a few weeks back, quite suddenly, and, as it was the newest of our appliances, quite annoyingly. Can you imagine how many dishes I’ve done in the past few weeks? I can’t exactly stop cooking or take my pictures on paper plates. 😛 My hands got all pruney and rough. Not fun. Not the end of the world, but still not fun. Anyway, though – new dishwasher! Yay!

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

A little note – My dad wanted me to let everyone know that he loves this recipe and can’t stop talking about it. He loves he one-sided breading, loves the salsa, and this is now his new favorite fish recipe. So, there you have it. It’s completely dad approved. 🙂

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Oven Fried Cod with Cara Cara Oranges

Thick-cut cod is breaded on one side, browned on the stove top and finished in the oven before being topped with a Cara Cara orange and avocado salsa.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 500

Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

Cod

• 1 lb thick cut cod fillets (2-3 fillets)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup dried plain bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Orange Salsa

• 2 inch Cara Cara oranges (or Navel) peeled and cut into 1- dice
• 1 inch avocado cut into 1- dice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450F.
• For the cod: Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the cod dry and then sprinkle the pieces with salt. Put out three bowls, one of each with the flour, the egg, and the bread crumbs. Decide which side of the fish you want to bread and then hold the fish fillet so that side faces down and dip it first in the flour, then the egg (making sure the egg has coated the flour), and then press it into the bread crumbs. Place the breaded fillet to one side and then repeat the process for the other fillets.
• Add the olive oil to the skillet, and then place each cod fillet, bread crumb side down, into the skillet. Saute for 1-2 minutes, checking after 1 minute to see if the fish is golden brown. Once it is, turn the fillets over and put the skillet in the oven. Bake the cod for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces. When done they will be flaky, and have reached a temperature of 140F.
• For the salsa: Mix together all salsa ingredients in a bowl. Serve with cod.

Notes

• Where I am thick cut cod often goes by the name captain's cut so you may want to look for that in the fish case.
• A fine substitute for fresh, grated ginger is jarred grated ginger. (Not powdered!) In my experience, it does lose some of its sharpness so you may want to add a bit more, but the convenience of having fresh ginger on hand all the time is worth it.

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