Mediterranean Baked Cod with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Cod fillets roasted over blistered cherry tomatoes, olives and capers, with garlic-infused olive oil spooned over at the end. A light, savory one-tray dinner.
- Total
- 42 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 32
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Caramelizing
- Savory
- Mediterranean
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Halve the cherry tomatoes and scatter them cut-side up on a small baking tray. Add the olives and capers, then drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with half the salt and the black pepper.
~10 min
Halving tomatoes cut-side up exposes more surface to dry heat, encouraging moisture release and caramelization rather than steaming.
-
Roast the tomatoes, olives and capers until the tomatoes begin to collapse and their edges caramelize, about 15 minutes.
~15 min
Roasting concentrates the tomatoes' sugars and evaporates water, deepening flavor and creating a jammy texture.
Roasting Roast vegetables until edges caramelize and fish until just opaque; overcooking dries lean fish, so check early and often.
Caramelizing Spread tomatoes cut-side up and give them space; crowding steams them, but direct dry heat browns edges and sweetens flavor.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the vegetables roast, finely slice the garlic. Warm the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil with the garlic in a small oven-safe bowl in the oven until the garlic is fragrant and just turning pale gold, 5 to 6 minutes. Do not let it brown.
~6 min
Gentle warming infuses oil with garlic flavor while avoiding browning, which would turn the garlic bitter.
Spooning the garlic oil over the fish only at the start and finish keeps the garlic sweet rather than bitter; if it darkens in the oven, pull the bowl out early.
-
Pat the cod fillets dry and season both sides with the remaining salt. Push the roasted tomatoes to the edges of the tray and set the cod in the center, spooning half the garlic oil over the fish.
~4 min
Drying the cod removes surface moisture so it roasts and browns instead of steaming, and moving tomatoes prevents overcrowding.
Patting the cod completely dry before it goes on the tray is what lets the surface set and brown instead of steaming in its own moisture.
-
Roast until the cod is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. It should reach 63°C in the thickest part.
~12 min
Cod is lean and cooks quickly; pulling it at 63°C ensures it stays moist and flakes rather than drying out.
Roasting Roast vegetables until edges caramelize and fish until just opaque; overcooking dries lean fish, so check early and often.
-
Spoon the remaining garlic oil over the cod and tomatoes and serve straight from the tray.
~1 min