The KISS Principle – Cod with Parsley Sauce

Reading around the internet about cooking reveals some interesting stuff. My latest bugbear is over-complication. I see some ‘brand name’ chefs obfuscating processes needlessly. I wonder why? Perhaps it’s to preserve some mystique around their ‘art’. Perhaps it’s that they just don’t know any better. Or, perhaps it’s for more commercial reasons?

I don’t see any benefit in complicating this simple classic of Cod with Parsley Sauce. It’s just too good done my way, so KISS Keep it Simple S****d. However, if you want to see Marco Pierre White selling his soul and making things a bit more difficult than they need to be while waving a big knife around, play this video.

My list of ingredients is pretty simple.

You will need:

• Cod (180 to 200 grammes per person)
• White wine
• Samphire (or lemon slices)
• Olive oil 
• Salt and pepper
• kitchen foil or parchment for parcels
• 50 grammes of butter
• 50 grammes of white flour
• 1 pint of milk
• Plenty of curly parsley
• Nice potatoes to accompany

The instructions are also very simple. Take out a kitchen knife and cut your cod into portion sizes. Put the knife away and make some generous sized parcels out of kitchen foil. Don’t do a Marco, you might cut something. Rub them with olive oil. Add the fish. Season it. Place the samphire on top and make up the parcel leaving a hole into which you pour a little white wine.

Seal the parcel and put them into a 200º C oven for 15 minutes. Get the big knife out again. Don’t waive it about and be sure to chop the parsley.

Against my better judgement, I went with the complicated way of making a white sauce.

My way is to add butter, flour and milk to the saucepan. Stir it until it thickens. Simmer it for 5 minutes to cook the flour. I guarantee you will have a lump free, smooth white sauce.

The other way is to make a roux by melting the butter and slowly adding the flour.

Then slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until you have a sauce made. Whichever way you go with the sauce, add the parsley and stir it in.

Take the parcels out of the oven. No need for waving any big knives around the place. Open the parcels and carefully pour the liquid into the sauce.

Stir it in. Serve the fish with potatoes. Pour the sauce over and, if I may borrow a line from Richard McGary, “Serve and enjoy”.

This is not complicated or difficult. There is oodles of flavour in the sauce and it works brilliantly with the fish. If the version on the link above is “restaurant quality” then you should eat at home more often.