Jazz up your fish with this winter must-try. Cod in the béchamel-horseradish sauce recipe

If you're still craving fish after the holiday season – and I hope you are, given its status as one of the healthiest meat options available in the market (with few exceptions), not to mention its necessity in winter diets – then I have just the recipe for you today. Let's prepare cod in béchamel sauce together, but spice it up with an exciting additive to enrich the taste.

While I've always believed that fish paired with béchamel or mousseline sauce is stellar in terms of consistency, I've often grappled with this dish's slightly "bland" taste since I can remember. To counter this, I explored various methods of altering this tendency. To my surprise, many others shared a similar sentiment. Some added fried onions to the sauce; others opted for saffron (exquisite!), and some preferred mustard. However, adding horseradish to the béchamel sauce intrigued me the most. Try it in your kitchen, and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients:

• 1.1 to 1.3 lbs of fillets from your favorite fish, e.g., cod,
• 1/4 cup butter,
• About 2/3 cup milk,
• 2/3 cup broth,
• 2 level tablespoons flour,
• 1 to 2 tablespoons horseradish (adjust to taste and whether you are grating the root by hand, or using pre-prepared horseradish from a jar),
• Juice of 1/2 lemon,
• Salt to taste,
• White and black pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Clean the fillets and season with salt and black pepper.
2. Prepare a roux using butter and flour. Gradually add milk to it, stirring continuously to avoid lump formation. Follow the same procedure with the broth.
3. Flavour the sauce with horseradish, lemon juice, salt, and white pepper.
4. Add the seasoned fillets to the prepared sauce and let it simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes. Everything should be ready by then. Serve with some greens, like dill, and other accompaniments like mashed potatoes. Enjoy!