Green Seasoning Baked Cod

By Brigid Washington

From Bon Appétit

Photo of baked cod in dish

Green seasoning is a bright, piquant, and herbaceous staple particularly beloved in Trinidad & Tobago, where it’s often used to inject complex and robust flavors into meat, poultry, and fish prior to cooking. The aromatic blend consists of cilantro (or culantro, which grows wild on the island), garlic, onions, scallions, a source of acid, and a source of heat. For this recipe, the core components of green seasoning aren’t puréed as they traditionally are but rather chopped by hand. Mild and mellow white fish—in this case, cod—is baked under this blanket of fresh herbs, and the end result is a simple yet comforting dish that also has bright bursts of tropical flavors and oomph.

Ingredients

¼ Vidalia or other sweet onion

4 6-oz. skinless, boneless cod fillets

¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lime

4 garlic cloves

1 2" piece ginger

4-5 thyme sprigs

1 small bunch cilantro

2-4 scallions

1 red bell pepper

1 habanero chile

Brown rice or ramen noodles (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300°. Thinly slice ¼ Vidalia or other sweet onion with a chef’s knife and place in a medium baking dish. Place four 6-oz. skinless, boneless cod fillets on top of onion slices. Generously sprinkle fillets on both sides with ½ tsp. kosher salt and season with freshly ground black pepper. Pour ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil over, then finely grate zest from 1 lime on top; set lime aside. Turn fillets to coat. Let cod sit while you prepare remaining ingredients.

Step 2

Smash, peel, and coarsely chop 4 garlic cloves. Peel one 2" piece ginger with a spoon, then thinly slice; place in a small bowl. Cut slices into matchsticks; cut matchsticks into small cubes. Place garlic and ginger in a small bowl.

Step 3

Pick leaves off 4–5 thyme sprigs and chop; discard stems. You should have about 1 Tbsp. chopped thyme. Coarsely chop leaves and tender stems from 1 small bunch cilantro until you have ½ cup (reserve remaining cilantro for another use); add herbs to bowl with garlic and ginger.

Step 4

Trim and coarsely chop 2–4 scallions to yield about ⅓ cup and place in same bowl.

Step 5

Slice 1 red bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds; discard. Finely chop flesh and add to bowl. Slice 1 habanero chile in half lengthwise and remove ribs and seeds; discard. Finely chop half of chile; reserve remaining chile for another use. Add bell pepper and chile to bowl and toss all ingredients with your hands to combine.

Step 6

Spoon mixture evenly over cod to completely cover. Slice reserved lime in half and squeeze juice over; sprinkle with remaining ¼ tsp. salt and drizzle with remaining 2 tsp. olive oil. Bake until fish is opaque and cooked through and red pepper and chile are softened, 25–35 minutes. Serve cod with cooked brown rice or ramen noodles.