Fresh fish is often considered a special-occasion meal. Let's face it, some varieties can be just as expensive as the highest quality steaks. Cod, on the other hand, can be easy on the budget, especially if you're lucky to find it on sale.
Mild tasting and flaky, cod is an extremely versatile fish. Considered a "gateway" dish for people who turn up their noses at fishy-tasting seafood such as salmon, cod can be beer-battered and fried for tacos or a Lenten fish fry, roasted, sauteed, grilled, marinated in lime juice for seviche or simply be baked with a little butter, lemon and garlic for an elegant dinner.
This recipe, fashioned after the classic Italian appetizer bruschetta, is likewise easy to pull together. After being brushed with lemon-garlic butter, the cod is topped with chopped, balsamic-marinated tomatoes, followed by a crunchy topping forged from panko and Parmesan. It's easy enough for a weeknight, but tastes fancy enough for the weekend.
