Cod a la Nieuwpoort

 There’s a place where cream meets the sea — and it’s called Nieuwpoort.

Fishermen here don’t just catch fish; they compose dinners. They return with cod glistening like pearl, mussels whispering salt, and baskets of grey shrimp that smell faintly of seaweed and strongly of future delights.

From this quiet miracle was born cod Nieuwpoort style, a dish that proves Belgians may not have invented romance, but they certainly perfected it in sauce form.

Think cod poached in white wine and fish stock, cloaked in a cream sauce so smooth it could calm the North Sea.

Add mussels, langoustines, and a snowfall of parsley — and suddenly you’re not eating, you’re listening to the ocean in Flemish.

Kabeljauw Nieuwpoortse Wijze

(Cod à la Nieuport — Flemish cod with North Sea seafood and white wine cream)

If there is one dish that smells of wind, salt, and briny dignity, it’s this one.

Born in the little port of Nieuwpoort, it is what happens when fishermen return home with more than cod — mussels clinging to their ropes, grey shrimp wriggling in baskets, and a few proud langoustines tossed in for show.

This is the North Sea on a plate, kissed by butter and white wine.

🐟 Ingredients (serves 2)

For the fish and seafood:

2 thick cod fillets (around 180 g each), skinless and boneless

300 g fresh mussels, cleaned

100 g grey North Sea shrimp (crevettes grises)

4 langoustines, raw, shells on

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 leek (white part only), thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 small carrot, diced (optional but traditional)

20 g butter

Grey shrimps, Belgium's finest:

For the sauce

200 ml dry white wine

150 ml fish stock (or water with a little fish fumet cube)

150 ml heavy cream

1 egg yolk

1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional but balances the sweetness)

20 g butter

Salt, white pepper, nutmeg

A handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

To serve

Steamed or mashed potatoes

Lemon wedges

⚓ Method

1. Prepare the seafood base

In a wide pot, melt butter and sauté shallot, leek, celery, and carrot until soft and fragrant.

Add white wine and fish stock, bring to a gentle boil.

Add the mussels, cover, and cook until they open (about 3–4 min).

Remove the mussels and reserve.

Add the langoustines to the same broth and poach for 2–3 min until just pink. Remove and keep warm.

Strain the broth and keep the liquid — this is your liquid gold.

2. Cook the cod

In a shallow pan, gently poach the cod fillets in part of that broth for 6–8 min, until just opaque and flaky. Remove carefully and set aside.

3. Make the sauce

Reduce the remaining broth by half over medium heat.

Whisk in the cream and mustard. Let it thicken slightly.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and temper it with a spoonful of hot sauce, then stir it back in off the heat.

Add a knob of butter, season with salt, white pepper, and a whisper of nutmeg.

The sauce should be velvety, not too thick — it should cling lovingly to the fish.

4. Assemble

Arrange the cod fillets on warm plates.

Spoon over the sauce, scatter the grey shrimp generously, and arrange the mussels and langoustines proudly on top.

Shower with fresh parsley.

5. Serve immediately

With mashed or steamed potatoes, a slice of lemon, and  white wine or a crisp Flemish white beer.

🍋 Notes from the shore

A proper Nieuwpoortse wijze must taste of the tide — soft leeks, sea sweetness from the shrimp, and the buttery comfort that only Belgians manage to make feel nautical.

It’s both fisherman’s food and refined.

Enjoy 😋