Baked chilli-lime cod

It’s Good Friday tomorrow, and for many people that means one thing: Fish for dinner. Whether you’re religious or not, most of us were brought up with the tradition of eating fish on Good Friday, and it’s the biggest day of the year for fish and chip shop owners.

It isn’t exactly a difficult tradition; after all, fish is delicious, and so healthy. Sometimes we can fall into a rut though, and we end up cooking the same thing year after year. This year, why not change things up a bit and switch the tired old poached cod for this crispy, roast chilli-lime cod instead?

Ingredients 

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cod fillets
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Zest and juice of 2 limes

Method

1. In a small bowl combine all of the spices and mix well. Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to brush over the cod fillets and then rub with the spice mixture. Make sure to coat them very well. Refrigerate the cod filets for at least 30 minutes, but the longer they can marinate the better.

2. Preheat the oven to 220C.

3. Place the cod fillets on a foil-lined tray and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes – the fish will flake easily and be opaque all the way through when cooked.

4. Serve with fresh salad or steamed or roasted vegetables.