Cod You Believe It's Shmoked Mac n’ Cheese
By Chef Thompson Tran, Chef and Owner
The Wooden Boat, Port Moody, BC
British Columbia is well-known for its abundance of fresh sustainable seafood and artisanal quality hand-crafted products. It was an obvious choice to combine the bold, elegant and earthy flavours of smoked fish with the unctuous, sharp salty characteristics found in some of my favourite Canadian cheeses.
- Prep: 20 min
- Cooking: 16 min
- Baking Time: 10 min - 12 min
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (250 g) gemeli pasta
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) fish stock
- 1 cup (250 mL) milk
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) 18% table cream
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) unsalted butter divided
- Grated zest of 1 lemon divided
- 4 to 6 drops truffle oil
- 2 slices sourdough bread cut in ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22 mL) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) shredded Canadian Emmental cheese divided
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded Canadian 4-year-old Cheddar cheese divided
- 2/3 cup (150 mL) 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubed smoked BC black cod or any smoked mild white fish
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) roughly chopped cabbage
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely sliced, de-seeded serrano chili pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh tarragon
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Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter an 8 or 9-inch (20 to 23 cm) square oven-proof baking dish.
In large pot of boiling, salted water cook pasta according to package directions, about 7 minutes. Drain half of the pasta in colander, rinse in cool water and drain; combine with remaining unrinsed pasta. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in small skillet, combine wine and fish stock; cook on high heat until half of the liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in milk and cream. Set aside.
In small skillet, melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) of butter over medium heat. Add half of the lemon zest, truffle oil and bread cubes, sauté until bread is light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
In large pot, melt remaining butter over medium heat, until frothy. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in reserved milk mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes or until thickened, whisking occasionally.
Remove from heat; stir in ¾ cup (175 mL) of Emmental cheese and ½ cup (125 mL) of Cheddar cheese. Add drained pasta, smoked cod, cabbage, serrano chili pepper, and remaining lemon zest. Pour into prepared dish. Top with bread cubes, remaining Emmental and Cheddar cheeses. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with tarragon and a very light squeeze of lemon.
Tips
If you can’t find gemelli pasta, don’t hesitate to use short elbow pasta instead.
Nutritional information
Per serving| Energy: | 563 Calories |
| Protein: | 24 g |
| Carbohydrate: | 46 g |
| Fat: | 30 g |
| Fibre: | 2 g |
| Sodium: | 585 mg |
Top 5 Nutrients
| (% DV*) | |
|---|---|
| Calcium: | 40 % / 437 mg |
| Selenium: | 87 % |
| Vitamin B12: | 65 % |
| Vitamin D: | 63 % |
| Folate: | 62 % |
