Description

Many years ago, New England's coastal regions stuffed fish for their Thanksgiving dinner rather than a turkey and, most often, that fish was cod or haddock. Cod is a saltwater fish with white, lean, and firm flesh. Haddock is a saltwater fish that is related to cod, but is smaller in size. In this recipe, stuffing a whole fish results in a flaky, mild fish with just a touch of smokiness from the bacon strips laid over the whole fish during baking.

Directions

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Make sure the cod or haddock is well scaled and washed. You can leave the head on or off. Snip off the fins with shears or scissors.
3. Pat the exterior and interior dry with paper toweling. Salt it lightly and place it on a greased baking sheet.
4. Preheat oven to 400 F.
5. Stuff the cavity of the fish with your favorite stuffing. Put the excess stuffing in a casserole dish to cook alongside the fish.
6. Close the cavity of the cod with the skewers by threading them in and out of the belly.
7. Lay strips of bacon over the fish on the diagonal. If you remove the head, make sure bacon strips cover the cut end well or it will dry out.
8. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes per inch of thickness of the cod, usually between 40 to 50 minutes.
9. Once the bacon is crisp, remove it, and serve it with the potatoes. Remove the bacon at least 10 minutes before the end of cooking to crisp up the fish skin.
10. To serve, carefully remove the cod from the baking sheet—you may need to use two large spatulas—to a serving platter. Remove the skewers and let the stuffing spill out on the platter.
11. Arrange the lemons and the boiled or roasted potatoes around and serve at once.