This is the most straightforward and easy Cod Mornay recipe. Just add the fish to an ovenproof dish, cover with sauce, top with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake! You'll have it all ready in just 30 minutes. The fish bakes in the sauce and is deliciously tender. A perfect comfort food dish for mid-week.
Baked Cod Mornay is a simple fish pie-type dish that originated in France. A Mornay sauce is a white or béchamel sauce, flavoured with cheese, and is perfect comfort food.
If you'd like a more traditional fish pie recipe, with various types of fish topped with creamy mashed potatoes, try my Fish Pie with Leeks.
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Ingredients
This Cod Mornay recipe needs just a few simple ingredients.
- Cod - the best part to use is cod loin, but you can also use cod fillets. If you are using frozen fish, defrost first and pat dry to remove any excess water. Excess water will make your sauce runny.
- Breadcrumbs - provide a delicious crunchy topping. Create your own breadcrumbs by putting one slice of bread in a food processor. 1 slice of bread will give you roughly 25g of breadcrumbs which is plenty for the topping. This is an excellent way to use up bread that has gone a little dry and avoids food waste. I just use the breadcrumbs like this. You can also use Panko breadcrumbs which give a nice crisp topping.
- Cheddar Cheese - buy a block of cheese rather than pre-grated. Pre-grated cheese contains preservatives to stop it from sticking together, but this also means it doesn't melt so easily. I recommend using a mature cheddar as it will give a nice strong flavour. You can find examples of other cheeses you could substitute below.
- Milk - a white sauce needs some fat to work. Use full-fat or semi-skimmed milk. Don't use skimmed or no-fat milk.
- Butter - I use salted butter and find I don't need to add more salt to the sauce. If you use unsalted butter, you may need to season the sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Cod Mornay
Remove the skin and chop the cod into bite-sized even pieces. Arrange in a single layer in an oven-proof dish.
Sprinkle the kale evenly over the top of the fish.
Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and stir in the flour to make a paste.
Slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce is smooth and thickens. Remove from the heat and add half the cheese, stirring until it has melted.
Pour the mornay cheese sauce over the fish and kale.
Top with the remaining grated or shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes.
Hint: Fish should flake easily when cooked. If you're not sure, remove a small spoonful and check the fish flakes nicely.
Tips on making a Mornay Sauce
Don't worry, you don't need to be a chef to produce the best mornay sauce. A basic white sauce is also known as a béchamel sauce (it's a French term) and combines butter and flour in a 1:1 ratio with milk. A Mornay sauce is béchamel with added cheese.
Take it slowly. The ingredients need time to combine.
Melt the butter over a low heat then stir in the flour to create a yellow paste. Add some of the milk and stir. Keep adding the milk and stir continually until your sauce becomes smooth. Don't worry if there are lumps in it at first. You can help remove the lumps by pressing them against the side of the pan.
As your sauce heats up, it will thicken. Keep stirring until you have the right consistency. Don't let your sauce boil.
Once you have a smooth thick sauce, remove it from the heat and stir in the grated or shredded cheese.
Rescue Tip - If your sauce is still lumpy, use an electric whisk to remove them.
Substitutions
- Cod - you can use any white meaty fish, sometimes called round fish, in this recipe such as haddock, coley, basa, pollock, bream, hake, monkfish, or mullet. See what's available locally for a different fish mornay.
- Vegetables - I've made this with kale, but you can also use spinach, cabbage, frozen peas, or cauliflower. Choose a vegetable that's not too dense and will cook easily in the sauce.
- Cheese - cheddar cheese is tangy and will give lots of flavour but you can also use other hard cheeses that melt well. Good melting cheeses include Gruyere cheese, Fontina, Gouda, Emmenthal, French Comte, Provolone, and Monterey Jack.
For a Deluxe version, add in some prawns! Defrost them first and dry to remove any excess water and stop the sauce turning watery.
Equipment
All you need is an ovenproof baking dish. Ceramic or stoneware is best as it won't stick. A dish 23cm x 32cm or 9 inches x 12 inches is a good size for 4 people. You also need a pan to make the bechamel sauce.
What to serve with Cod Mornay
I love to serve Cod Mornay with a side of mashed potatoes. Other ideas include:-
- Crusty Bread
- New potatoes
- Green Salad
- Green vegetables
- Steamed vegetables
Sustainability
Look out for sustainably sourced fish. The best indication is to look for the Marine Stewardship Council label. This lets you know the fish has been sustainably sourced. Buying sustainably sourced fish is important to protect the long-term stocks of different varieties of fish and also to protect the marine environment.
Storage and reheating
Cod Mornay can be stored in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. To reheat it, cover it with foil to prevent the top from browning further and reheat it in an oven at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes or until piping hot.
Fish Mornay doesn't freeze too well as the sauce becomes grainy and separates when frozen. However, it is still perfectly safe to eat.
FAQ
Yes, you can make a Mornay sauce up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the fridge. When you are ready to use it, heat it in a pan over a low heat and stir. The cold sauce will be thick. Keep stirring until you get a smooth pourable consistency but don't let the sauce boil. You can add a little more milk if necessary.
When a white sauce is not smooth or 'grainy' we say it has split. This can happen if the heat was too high or the sauce has been allowed to boil. A white sauce or béchamel sauce takes time and should be cooked over a low heat to allow the ingredients time to combine. It needs to be stirred continually whilst cooking to get a nice creamy texture.
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📖 Recipe
Cod Mornay
Equipment
- 1 Oven proof dish ceramic or stoneware are best
- 1 pan medium sized
Ingredients
- 600 g Cod Loin or fillets
- 80 g Kale
- 80 g Butter
- 80 g Plain flour or All Purpose Flour
- 1 litre Milk Full Fat or semi-skimmed
- 250 g Cheddar cheese grated or shredded
- 25 g Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Remove the skin and chop the cod into bite-sized even pieces. Arrange in a single layer in an oven-proof dish.600 g Cod
- Sprinkle the kale evenly over the top of the fish.80 g Kale
- Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and stir in the flour to make a paste.80 g Butter, 80 g Plain flour
- Slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce is smooth and thickens. Remove from the heat and add half the cheese, stirring until it has melted.1 litre Milk, 250 g Cheddar cheese
- Pour the mornay sauce over the fish and kale.
- Top with the remaining grated or shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes.25 g Breadcrumbs
Notes
Nutritional Info
Nutritional information is provided as a guide and based on standard ingredients versions. It does not include any additional side dishes.Ingredients Notes
- Cod - the best part to use is the cod loin, but you can also use cod fillets. If you are using frozen fish, defrost first and pat dry to remove any excess water. Excess water will make your sauce runny.
- Breadcrumbs - Create your own breadcrumbs by putting one slice of bread in a food processor. 1 slice of bread will give you roughly 25g of breadcrumbs which is plenty for the topping. You can also use Panko breadcrumbs.
- Cheddar Cheese - buy a block of cheese rather than pre-grated. Pre-grated doesn't melt so easily. I recommend using a mature cheddar as it will give a nice strong flavour. You can find examples of other cheeses you could substitute below.
- Milk - Use full-fat or semi-skimmed milk. Don't use skimmed or no-fat milk.
- Butter - I use salted butter and find I don't need to add more salt to the sauce. If you use unsalted butter, you may need to season the sauce.
Substitutions
- Cod - Use any white meaty fish, sometimes called round fish. For example haddock, coley, basa, pollock, bream, hake, monkfish, or mullet.
- Vegetables - Other ideas include spinach or cabbage, frozen peas, or cauliflower. Choose a vegetable that's not too dense and will cook easily in the sauce.
- Cheese - cheddar cheese is tangy and will give lots of flavour. Other good melting cheeses include gruyere, fontina, gouda, Emmenthal, french comte, provolone, and Monterey jack.
Storage & Reheating
Cod Mornay can be stored in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. To reheat it, cover with foil to prevent the top from browning further and reheat in an oven at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes or until piping hot. Cod Mornay doesn't freeze too well as the sauce becomes grainy and separates when frozen. However, it is still perfectly safe to eat.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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