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Baked cod with lemon and capers 

This is an easy and light dinner, my husband I shared for dinner at the cottage tonight. Potatoes and cod are cooked together and we simply add some tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to complete the meal.

cod dinner for 2

Ingredients

  • I used 5 Yukon gold mini potatoes cut in half but you can use larger ones and cut them into wedges.
  • 2 tbsp of fresh parsley from our herb pot outside 🙂
  • 1-2 tbsp of capers (i love those so I add more)
  • Some olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 large filet of cod skinless (or buy it in pieces)

  


Preheat the oven at 425F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Cut potatoes in half and place them in a saucepan with 2 inches of water. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and put them back in the saucepan to coat them (my husband appreciate it when I re-use, less dishes :).

Add 1 tbsp of chopped parsley, the capers, 1-2 tsp oil, paprika and half the salt. Toss gently to coat them.


Meanwhile, mix the lemon zest, garlic, 1tbsp parsley, 1 tsp oil, remaining salt and mix together.  My good friend Iona gave me this awesome zester! It is a must, love it.


Rub the cod with the mixture and place in the baking dish with the potatoes around it. Sprinkle cod and potatoes with the lemon juice.

Bake until the fish is opaque in the centre and flakes well. This should take about 15-18 minutes depending on your oven.

Serve and enjoy with a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio as we did 🙂

cod with lemon and caper dinner

Variation: I sometimes sprinkle the fish with lemon and roll in Panko mixed with Parmesan cheese. It is a great variation!

Day 6: we leave for Naxos

We wake up today to a cloudy sky and strong winds. They die down quickly and a bit of cloudiness still let’s through amazing light. I would think this would be a fabulous place for an artist to create

 
We enjoy our breakfast again on our terrace as I struggle with the wifi. 

 

Time to leave and we make our way to the port to await our high speed ferry on Hellenic.  Although the view was spectacular, I am not unhappy to leave.

We look forward to Naxos and resting on the beach for a few days. I am not sure if I would have wanted to stay in Santorini for a whole week as most people were doing that we met. Maybe not in Oia anyways, the view, caves and cliffs are spectacular, but it so busy and no beaches. The space is such at a premium that all the pools are very small, and there are definitely too many weddings! I forgot to mention that yesterday’s new word was Yamas for cheers but do not say it if you are not looking in each other eyes!
As we wait for our transfer minivan to arrive, we chat with the luggage guy who is from Romania and he tells us about his country. Sounds like we have to go to Carpathian. The region where the Danube meets the Black Sea and creates a delta. The region with Dracula’s castle!! He speaks 5 languages and just graduated with a degree in hostellerie.  Every summer he interned in a different country and has already experienced so much! Very neat!
We take the same road down to the port.

I am happy with the fact that the ferry ride is half the time but the business class lounge is definitely not as nice as on the blue star and not worth it. No electric outlets or wifi so I can not charge all my electronics or upload yesterday’s blog again. Drag!
The view from the back of the boat is again very nice. There is a dog trapped in a cage, barking constantly. Not happy!

We arrive in Hora,Naxos and again the disembarkation is quite something! Here we see the blue that Greece is so famous for. I do not know if it is the place or the temperature that brings this colour to the sea but it is magnificient.

 

Our ride to Pyrgaki is about 30 minutes, We drive though a very different scenery of hills and valleys and small village.  We arrive to Finnikas hotel via a dirt/sandy road to a beautiful hotel right on the beach.  We are greeted by a super nice receptionist who comes greet us at the taxi and are served Kytron which is a liquor made here on the island similar to Limoncello. The method of distillery and the liquor dates back to ancient Greece!

 

She explains all the different things to see on the island including the nearby secluded beach that you can reach only on foot and are within the nearby cedar forest. The sunset from the “Hawai” beach is supposed to be spectacular.  As she takes us to our suite, she points out that all the hedges and bushes are herbs that are used by the restaurant. We also come to a 900 year old cedar with a vine growing on it. The legend is that the marriage with the vine is what is keeping the cedar alive for so long.

After a delicious lunch at the restaurant where I experience the best fish soup I have ever had.

we settle in our beautiful suite and I go for a dip in the salt water pool and a walk on the beach while Chuck reads his book on the balcony.

 

Although it is quite windy and cloudy, we decide to walk to the secluded beach (about 10 minutes) and are well rewarded.
The beaches are spectacular, at the bottom of a small cliff, the sand is is great and the view awesome. Chuck decides to go for a dip amongst the strong waves and I take pictures. We stay until the sunsets and make our way back to the hotel.

We are excited to try the famous catch of the day at the restaurant for dinner. Each day, local fisherman bring fishes caught that day for this treat. The chef is a greek-canadian and specializes in fish. The waiter brings to the table a plate with 3 fishes that were caught that day for us to select. We try the Sfirava. They are from the grouper family and he tells us about each of the variety which are local to the mediteranean. The fish is then grilled for a few minutes and then put in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt. It arrives at the table whole and the waiter then prepares it for us. It is accompanied with a butter-lemon sauce and local vegetable. Absolutely delicious. We do not leave one bite!

We are now told that a storm is coming and that Sunday they are not certain that the high speed boat will run. We have to decide tomorrow which ferry to book that will have more chance to leave!
We rent a car to go explore the island tomorrow and visit the Mountain where Zeus is believed to have been raised and hidden from the god as a child as well as the Kytron distillery.
Off to bed we go 🙂