Last Updated on January 20, 2026
Skrei – Norwegian Cod – with Lemon and Garlic
I enjoy cooking with fish – it is healthy, fresh, simple to prepare and generally low in calories. So, I was curious to try Skrei – a line-caught cod from the Lofoten Islands, renowned for its unique texture and flavour. It has a firm flesh, with very obvious fat lines and the seasonal fish is caught while the fish is migrating to spawn. That means the fish you are eating is generally around five years old. To be classified as Skrei fish, it needs to be fully grown with immaculate skin and packaged within twelve hours of being caught, then stored on ice between 0 °C and 4 °C.
I wanted to make a simple dish to showcase the fish. Lightly pickled garlic scapes have a more delicate, softer flavour than raw cloves. And, pairing lentils with white fish works particularly well for me; I love the nutty texture of the lentils contrasted with tender morsels of cod.
Of course, this dish will work with any cod, or with monkfish or halibut, for example. It’s a great way to showcase a good fish without overwhelming the delicate flavour. If you can’t find garlic scapes, then I’d suggest making a roasted garlic paste in the oven by baking a clove or two wrapped up in foil and then squeezing out the paste. It will keep in the fridge for a week or so, covered with oil. And the flavour is a lot more delicate than raw cloves, so closer to the garlic scapes.
Cod with Lemon and Garlic Scapes
Ingredients
- 1 Cod Fillet Cooking time will depend on the size of your fillet
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Scapes
- 50 g Puy Lentils Uncooked weight
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 170c. Put the lentils on to cook in lightly salted water.
- Put a little oil onto a large square of silicon baking paper on a piece of foil.
- Put your fish, skin side down on the oil, season well with salt and pepper and cover with slices of lemon
- Drizzle the remaining oil over the fish, then seal up your parcel. I used a double wrap of silicon baking paper (to ensure the fish didn’t stick) and foil (to ensure a good seal).
- Place on a baking sheet in the oven for 10-15 minutes. You can check whether the fish is done after 10 minutes by looking for blobs of ‘white’ on the surface, a bit like tiny bits of cream cheese – which is protein rising from the cooked fish.
- Drain the lentils when cooked and put to one side to keep warm in their pan
- When the fish is cooked, open up the parcel and pour all the oil and lemon juice over the lentils. Now stir through the garlic scapes and put the pan over a very low heat to warm through
- Serve with chunks of fresh lemon and the green vegetable of your choice
Nutrition
Although I’ve written out the recipe, I’m aware that there isn’t a great deal of cooking involved in this dish. But the results are excellent, and it makes a perfect low-calorie, healthy diet meal for one. Or scale up the quantities to make more!
With many thanks to the Norwegian Seafood Council for my samples of Skrei
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