Classic Boston Baked Scrod

Boston baked scrod is one of the quintessential classic New England seafood dishes, and yet, as we say here, it's wicked simple to make. I think it's good anytime of year. It's a nice, light dish for a summer's evening, but the warm, buttery baked cracker-crumb crust is also the perfect comfort food for a winter's night.

What is scrod? It was tradionally a small cod, split and boned. You can read about the etymology here, but for our purposes we'll use a cod filet, or even a haddock.

We love the rich flavorful buttery cracker crust, but because we don't want to be too over-indulgent, we combine 1/2 cup of crumbs (about half a sleeve of Ritz crackers) with 1/2 cup of panko crumbs. If tomatos are in season, garnish each filet with a tomato slice before baking.

I pair it with a nice oak Chardonnay, roasted vegetables, or a light salad.

Boston Baked Scrod

• 4 1/2 lb cod or haddock filets
• 2 eggs (or about 3 oz. vegetable or olive oil)
• 1 cup cracker crumbs (Ritz crackers, or similar)
• Salt and pepper

Wash and pat dry each filet. Place on oiled baking pan or tray. Brush on egg or oil to coat, then cover with cracker crumbs. Use hands to pack crumbs on. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each one. Bake in a 375 degree oven, about 12-15 minutes, until crumbs are a golden brown. To check for doneness, use a small knife to check the center of me filet. It should be white all the way through.

Use a spatula to carefully transfer from pan to plates. The fish is delicate and flaky, and will fall apart easily if you don't take care. It will still be delicious, though - Garnish with a lemon slice and enjoy!