Baked Cod and Bursting Tomatoes

Running is hard.
I managed to eek out 5 miles in between raindrops yesterday. It included about a mile of speed work on the track. 5 miles in 49 minutes for a 9:49 pace.
A decent pace, but everything felt difficult. Pain in my foot, pain in my knee, tight hamstrings.
Not to mention I was wearing an ugly shirt. It was just one of those days.
Then Jerry came home covered in mud from the trail run he went on.
I felt a little bit better about my ugly shirt.

I've been slacking off on my goal to eat fish once a week. Cod was on sale this week so I decided to give it a try. I don't usually like white fish, but I was determined to enjoy white fish that wasn't buried in a taco.

So I went with flavors I know I love.

Baked Cod with Lemon and Capers
Serves 4

• 2 pounds cod (or other white fish; haddock, halibut sea bass)
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• 2-3 Tbls capers
• 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes 
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine or vegetable stock

Take lemon zest, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and chop until you have a paste. Rub onto one side of fish.
Put about two tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Add onion and tomatoes.
Drizzle a little olive oil on the seasoned side of the fish, and dip into bread crumbs. Arrange in the dish, breaded side up, on top of the onions and nestled in between the tomatoes.
Add a few more tomatoes, the capers, and another drizzle of oil on top.
Pour the lemon juice and wine into the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake covered, 20-25 minutes on 350.
Uncover and broil until the top of the fish is crispy.

I had picked the tomatoes from my in-laws' garden on Monday, and they were the standout of this dish. I would definitely recommend using 1/2 pint, but this was all I had.
They were so sweet and burst in your mouth when you ate them!
The onions didn't add much to the dish, so feel free to leave them out. (Of course, Jerry loved them). 
I'll eat anything that involves lemon and capers, so I wasn't surprised that I loved this.
The fish had a firm texture and a mild flavor. The strong flavors of rosemary and capers were a good compliment.
We ate it on a bed of couscous and some spring mix, with extra sauce spooned over top. The extra sauce is key.

 We also finished the bottle of wine used in the dish.

Coopers Creek 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. It had a slight tropical flavor and wasn't quite as crisp as others of the same variety. Would definitely buy again for $10.

Stay tuned for my first pumpkin beer review and a post dedicated to lunches!