Baked Okra With Cod

Okra is a vegetable that I have always enjoyed. If you know how to properly prepare them, you get none of that unwanted slime that okra can have a reputation for having. Not these ones!

There are plenty of ready to cook frozen okra products out there and my favourite are by Barba Stathis (from Greece). Open the bag, add the okra (from frozen) into the pot and cook away!

The best okra are the small ones as they are tender and they don’t take long to cook. Try this Cretan dish of Okra with Fish. The more traditional fish is grouper but cod or any other filleted fish works wonderfully.

Baked Okra With Cod

(serves 4)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups diced white onions

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

4 tsp. red wine vinegar

6 whole allspice berries

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley

4 large ripe tomatoes, grated  (or 2 cups tomato puree)

1 bag of Barba Stathis frozen baby okra (or 4 cups fresh, trimmed)

4 fillets of fresh cod

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. Into a largo pot, add the olive oil, onions, garlic, some salt and pepper and sweat over medium heat (about 6-7 minutes. Add the vinegar, whole allspice, parsley and tomatoes, stir and cook another 5 minutes.
2. Add the okra plus enough water to just cover, more salt. Shake the pot back and forth (do not stir) to incorporate. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes (or until okra cooked.
3. Drizzle both sides of your cod, season with salt and pepper. Transfer half of your okra mixture to the bottom of a casserole dish, place the fish on top and spoon the remaining okra around the fish.
4. Place the casserole (uncovered) into your oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until fish is cooked).
5. Remove from the oven, let stand 5 minutes and serve.

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