Cod lasagna

Cod lasagna recipe .

Lasagna, or Italian lagsana, is a plate of pasta in sheets that can be filled between layers with a multitude of sauce and that is just cooked in the oven.

These are the star fish recipes within Italian gastronomy, which uses the same name to call lasagna al forno , which is filled with ragout or Bolognese sauce , than the rest of lasagna.

On the blog you can find a little variety so you don’t get bored of classic lasagna, from tuna , with chicken and spinach , to vegetables and fish, or the one we make with zucchini .

Although the Romans already had a plate of pasta in sheets that they called lagum , surely it would not be until the 17th century when a dish more similar to the lasagna that we consume today appears.

There are many variations of this dish, we can fill it with more or less stewed meats, vegetables of all kinds and even fish.

Today we have prepared a lasagna of the latter, a lasagna with cod and shrimp . To continue with the versatility of salted cod, you could not miss a recipe with pasta, specifically with baked pasta such as this lasagna.

What I recommend is to use quality ingredients, from the pasta, in this case lasagna Garofalo , one of the best pasta in Italy. And of course, the fillings, today with cod and prawns, but you have many ways to fill it.

The process is simple, it is about making a sauce with onion and garlic and adding the previously desalted cod in chips, and the prawns. I assure you that it will be perfect with the steps that I present to you.

Combining the sofrito with a light béchamel sauce and tomato sauce, we get a filling that is easy to prepare, without excessive complications and with a perfect result.

As a coronation, a common denominator in all lasagna is a tasty cheese that we sprinkle on the entire surface to gratinate.

Desalting the cod

1. The first thing we do is desalt the cod. If we have chosen to buy whole pieces, loins or other parts, we will have it not less than 48 hours to soak with two changes of water every day.
2. If we have bought cod that has already been crumbled, it will not take so long to remove the salt, 24 or 36 hours will suffice.
3. It is recommended that we keep the cod in the fridge while it is soaking since, if the weather is not too cold, it could spoil out in the open.
4. Once we have the desalted cod, we crumble them if we have loins.
5. We remove skins and thorns and, with our hands we break them until making uneven flakes.

Preparation of the lasagna filling

1. We remove the shell and the head of the prawns and save them for other preparations. We reserve the prawns already peeled.
2. Peel and cut the onions in brunoise into small cubes and add them to a large skillet with 5 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. We begin to brown the onion and as soon as we see that it begins to be soft we add the crumbled cod.
4. We cook 3 more minutes. Add the chopped prawns and the cognac.
5. We fry until we see the prawns take color.
6. It is not necessary to cook the prawns a lot since they would be dry. We remove the mixture from the pan and reserve.
7. In the same pan and taking advantage of the juices from the previous preparation, melt the butter.
8. When it begins to heat up, add the flour with a pinch of salt. We cook it working with a wooden spoon for a few minutes.
9. We have to take the precaution of adding little salt since the one that the cod will later provide will surely be enough.

Bind the filling with the bechamel

1. We incorporate 100 ml. of milk and stir until it is absorbed by the flour.
2. We continue adding milk to the pan, without stopping stirring, incorporating it in several batches until we have added it all.
3. We stir without stopping at medium low temperature to undo all the lumps until the cream begins to boil.
4. Then cook for 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Add a pinch of nutmeg to taste.
5. Reserve ¼ of the bechamel sauce in a bowl and keep the rest in the pan.
6. Add the cod with onion that we have reserved for ¾ of sauce in the pan. Stir well until the mixture is homogeneous.
7. We cook the lasagna sheets according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We reserve until the assembly of the lasagna.

Final preparation of the cod and prawn lasagna. Baking and presentation

1. In a deep tray suitable for the oven, we distribute 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce all over its base.
2. We place the first of the 3 layers of pasta. We cover with half of the cod mixture.
3. We spread all the tomato sauce on top and place the second layer of pasta.
4. We preheat the oven to 190º C for 10 minutes, before baking.
5. On top of the second layer of pasta we spread the rest of the cod mixture and cover with the last layer of lasagna sheets.
6. We cover everything with the reserved béchamel sauce and optionally sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake with the oven at 190º C, with heat up and down, for 15 minutes and change to grill position.
8. Gratin for 10 minutes until the surface is golden. We remove from the oven and serve the lasagna still hot.

We can accompany it with a tomato and arugula salad to have a complete and balanced meal. It is a unique dish of yummy.

You can see all the step by step photos of this recipe for cod lasagna and shrimp in this album.