By David Cohen
Oh, baby oh, baby, this is a good one! My best customer and most trustworthy critic told me it was the best thing I’ve made in a long time. There’s a little bit of prep, but it’s still easier than making an actual Caesar dressing.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, mash together two minced garlic cloves, some black pepper, the zest from half a lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon each of room temperature butter, Dijon mustard and. if you’re a real Caesar fan, anchovy paste.
Stir in 1/2 cup each of grated parmesan and panko and combine well to form a coarse paste. You may have to loosen it up with another splash or two of olive oil.
Cut about 1 pound of cod into portion-size pieces and put them onto a butter smeared baking sheet or roasting pan. Use your hands to form ¼-inch layer of the mixture on the tops of the fillets and bake for 15 minutes. Turn up the heat to 450 or 500 and cook until you start to see some browning … probably no more than five minutes.
Give each fillet a big squeeze of lemon juice and serve.
