When people hear the term “convenience food,” all too often, their minds turn to something you probably shouldn’t be eating but have to because of limited time. It could be frozen or canned food, or maybe something picked up from the prepared foods section of your supermarket, like a whole rotisserie chicken or some sort of soup that has been kept hot for hours in a big vat. Or maybe it’s take-out burgers or other fast food.
But I define convenience food in a different way. It’s simply a recipe that begins with just a few readily available store-bought ingredients, including fresh produce. Then, the dish is put together in minutes with a minimum of fuss and few utensils. Finally, my ideal convenience food is cooked from start to finish in the same pan from which you serve it.
Do you find such a description too difficult to imagine? Then allow me to present one of my favorite easy recipes — Baked Cod Fillets With a Parmesan-Panko Crust — and explain how it meets all those requirements for convenience.
First, the recipe calls for only a handful of common ingredients you’ll actually need to shop for, plus a few staples you will very likely already have in your pantry or refrigerator. The coarse, Japanese-style breadcrumbs called panko are now commonly found among other packaged breadcrumbs in well-stocked markets or in the Asian foods section. And you can substitute for the codfish any other mild-flavored, thick fish fillets that you like and find readily available.
Next, by my conservative estimate, you’ll probably need 10 to 15 minutes to assemble the dish, during which you’ll also be heating your oven to its hottest temperature. And that assembly all takes place in an ovenproof nonreactive skillet that you can even carry straight from the oven to your dining table, taking care, of course, to protect your hands with oven gloves or pads and your table with good heatproof trivets.
Consider the fact that the entire prep and cooking of the dish also allow the perfect amount of time to cook steamed rice or another grain dish, begun just before you start getting the fish ready. That will provide the ideal accompaniment to soak up all the
delicious sauce that forms around the fillets during cooking.
I know many people who, once they’ve cooked and tasted this dish for the first time, put the recipe into their regular rotation, making it not only for family meals but also for casual dinner parties. Now that’s what I call convenient.
BAKED COD FILLETS WITH A PARMESAN-PANKO CRUST
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients:
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, about 3 ounces
1 cup panko or other coarse dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs such as Italian parsley, chives, tarragon, thyme and chervil, plus extra for garnish
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 skinless cod fillets, each 4 to 6 ounces and at least 1 inch thick
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in half, plus extra slices for garnish
Directions:
Place an oven rack in the highest position. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. On a small baking sheet, stir together the Parmesan, panko, 1/3 cup of the herbs, red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy ovenproof nonreactive skillet large enough to hold the cod. Season the cod with salt and pepper. Dip 1 side of a fillet into the butter, then press into the crumbs. Return it crumb side up to the skillet.
Repeat the process with the remaining cod and crumb mixture. Spoon melted butter over the crumbs, and dot with the remaining unmelted butter. Scatter the onion around the fish. Pour the wine in between the fish fillets, taking care not to disturb the crumbs. Squeeze in a lemon half.
Set the skillet over high heat, and bring the wine to a simmer. Put the skillet in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. To test for doneness, use a dull skewer: Inserted into the thickest part of a fillet, the skewer should meet no resistance.
Squeeze the remaining lemon half over and around the fish. Place the skillet over high heat to bring the juices back to a simmer. Garnish with lemon slices and the rest of the fresh herbs. Serve immediately.