Rock Cod in White Wine Sauce

Just got back from Fort Bragg, and had a terrific trip. 3 great days of fishing and weather. I even got a little sun burned, (which is a rare thing over there). I am going to be passing out some fresh fish I caught yesterday, so thought I would put up my favorite way to cook it.

Due to the Salmon Season being closed, we were fishing for Rock Cod. There are many different varieties of Rock Cod, (otherwise known as ground fish), but they are all wonderful to eat. They are a mild tasting fish, with generally very flaky and tender meat. We always fillet them out, and then de-bone them. This should leave you with boneless fillets from about 1/4 of an inch thick up to an inch, (depending on the size of the fish).

Some people bread the fish and fry it, but my favorite way is not only better for you, but it tastes better too.

Use either a pie plate, pyrex casserole dish, or some other oven safe dish with a flat bottom and sides that are at least 1 inch high/deep. Into this dish, add white wine until it is at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep across the bottom, (figure 1/2 as deep as your thickest fillet is tall). Then add 4-6 tablespoons of butter. Put in oven at 325 degrees to let it heat up and the butter melt.

Take your fillets and wash them under cold water. Pat them dry with a clean paper towel and place on a dish or drying rack. Over the top, sprinkle them with Lemon Pepper to taste, (I like it pretty thick).

Then when the butter has all melted in the wine, carefully remove the plate from the oven, (being careful not to burn yourself), and stir the butter and wine together. Then add the fish fillets to the sauce in a single layer, using a fork to push them into the sauce. Then return the pan to the oven for about 6 minutes. Carefully remove the pan, and then turn the fillets over, again pushing the fillets down into the sauce. Return the pan to the oven for an additional 6 minutes or so. Then remove the pan and spatula the fillets onto the individual plates, or let your dinner guests serve themselves out of the dish.