Have dinner ready in 30 minutes with baked cod

How about that rain, thunder and lightning we got this past week? Was everyone as excited and giddy as I was? We hadn’t had a good rain in a long time, not to mention thunder and lightning.

As much as I like the change in weather, I am not so happy about the crazy drivers on the road when inclement weather comes around. You know the ones I’m talking about: speed demons that like to drive faster when the roads are wet.

I have another new driver in the house, my youngest child, and with that comes drivers ed training. One of the things drivers education courses teach is to slow down at the first sign of rain, drizzle, or snow.

Why are roads slicker when they are wet? According to the California Driver Handbook distributed by the DMV, roads are slippery at the first rain after a dry spell (hello, most of the year!) because oil and dust have accumulated and have not been washed away.

When oil is released from the asphalt and rises to the surface of the road, it makes for a slick surface. Water also pools in the tiny pits of the road making for an even smoother surface. Both cause a loss of friction between your tires and the road.

In a heavy rain, your car tires can lose all contact with the road, especially when driving over 50 miles per hour. This results in hydroplaning and any little change in direction or a windy gust can send you into a skid – a scary feeling if you’ve ever experienced it.

The DMV driver’s handbook recommends adjusting driving speed by 5 to 10 miles per hour slower. With the number of crashes and accidents on the roads this past week during the rains, I don’t think some people were heeding that advice.

I am a bit of a homebody when the rain is falling. My husband and I took a walk in the rain and enjoyed the crisp weather. I baked biscuits. My daughter and I watched an old movie. It finally felt like fall.

With falling temperatures, albeit slowly falling temps, I have gotten back into using my oven again for meals. The past week I’ve baked Brussels sprouts with bacon, honey whole wheat challah bread and this week’s recipe of baked cod.

Any fish cooked in the oven runs the risk of coming out mushy (undercooked or too much liquid) or dry (overcooked or not enough liquid). Depending on the thickness of the filets, the cooking temperature, and the type of fish, these problems can be avoided.

This week’s recipe comes from the website Allrecipes.com. I served it with a side of pasta and asparagus, but it would be yummy with soup or salad too. It is an easy to make dinner entrée that is ready in under 30 minutes, whether it rains or not.

Perfect 10 Baked Cod

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided use
• 1/2 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz), crushed
• 1 pound thick-cut cod or other white fish
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium bowl in the microwave, about 30 seconds on high. Add crushed crackers to melted butter and stir. Set aside.

Put remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a 7×11-inch baking dish and melt butter in the preheated oven, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove dish from oven. Place cod in the baking dish and turn to coat both sides in melted butter.

Bake fish for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with lemon juice and wine. Press cracker mixture onto tops of fish. Place fish back in oven and bake until opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 10 more minutes. Garnish baked cod with parsley and green onion. Serve with lemon wedges.

The dish can be gluten-free if gluten-free crackers are substituted for the Ritz and it can be dairy-free if olive oil is substituted for the butter.