Pan Seared Cod with a Caper, Parsley and Lemon Sauce

Name: Pan Seared Cod with a Caper, Parsley and Lemon Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb thick cut cod fillet, (cut into 4-5 pieces); 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice, (divided, one tbsp for the fish and 3 tbsp for the sauce); 2-3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 5 medium cloves garlic, (chopped); 2 tbsp capers; 1/2 cup dry vermouth, (or dry white wine); 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 1 dash cayenne powder; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

March 6, 2018 By justalittlebitofbacon 67 Comments

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My simple recipe for pan seared cod with lemon sauce is a fast weeknight dinner which is full of flavor! Tender fish, golden brown crust, and a lemon, caper, and parsley sauce perfect for spooning over rice or pasta or sopping up with some crusty bread.

I love thick-cut cod for dinner. It’s meaty, versatile, and low in fat. All of which makes cod a regular in my dinner rotation. However it always seems so simple, so I haven’t posted very many cod recipes here!

A few, like my parents’ all time favorite of my recipes: Oven Fried Cod with Cara Cara Salsa; and a great Baked Mediterranean Cod (one dish meal!) have made the cut. But I really need to share some of my other cod recipes.

Luckily, for all fish recipe fans out there, I have been looking at my diet and have decided to bring my cooking more in line with the Mediterranean Diet. I’ve always taken inspiration from that diet, but it’s time to work more Mediterranean diet recipes into my life and into my cooking blog.

What does it mean to follow the Mediterranean diet?

More fish
More vegetarian/vegetable recipes
More grains
More simple, fruit forward desserts

So, I have been working on fish and seafood recipes, grain bowls, salads, vegetable soups, and fruit desserts. All foods I’ve been making right along, but I’m putting them more in the forefront of our daily meals, and making fewer meat-based meals and sugary treats.

Don’t worry though! I’m not going to entirely give up baking (I love it too much) or Italian-American comfort food (I did just post a totally awesome short rib ragu). However, we could all do with more whole grains, more fish, more vegetables, and less sugar/cream in our lives.

Yes? Good! Let’s start with some cod with lemon sauce. 🙂

Baked vs Fried

The concept for this recipe started with the idea of a pan seared then baked cod, rather similar to my pan roasted chicken thigh recipes. And this can work if you are doing a proper breading on the cod which will act like the skin of the chicken. But, with dredged cod, no matter what I did the flour was gummy and the cod was soggy rather than crispy. This just would not do!

Other than that, the flavor was good. We liked the seasoned flour and the lemon sauce with the cod. Which meant that a simple shift was in order. Instead of searing then baking, just searing gave me crispy, golden-brown cod with fully cooked flour.

For cod dredged in flour? The answer is clear. Frying wins over baking.

How to pan sear cod without sticking?

Cast iron!

Seriously, a well seasoned cast iron pan is amazing. You can cook fish with little or no sticking (sometimes a bit of coating sticks, but that just makes the sauce better), use high heat, and pop it in the oven if you want. Cast iron is the best and everyone should have a pan or two.

How do you wash cast iron?

Worried about cleaning your cast iron?

Don’t! Cast iron does need a little maintenance, but you can use soap and you can use a scrubby sponge to get it clean. I scrub my cast iron every time I use it and it’s well seasoned and cooks like a dream.

The secret is to wipe it down with vegetable oil, wipe most of that off (you want the thinnest coat possible), and heat it on the cook top for a few minutes to get all the water evaporated after you scrub it. That will keep your cast iron happy! (And – if you need an extra deep cleaning – you can pour in some kosher salt and some oil and then scrub it with a paper towel. That gets it especially shiny. 🙂 It’s also a great plan if you want to go from…say cooking fish to making dessert in your cast iron.)

This meal takes me about 30 minutes to make, including steaming up some veggies and making the orzo. And it’s a family pleasing favorite around here. Win/win in my book!

If you try my recipe for Pan Seared Cod with Caper, Parsley, and Lemon Sauce, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails or liking my Facebook or Pinterest (see the form and icons in the sidebar or below the recipe card)

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

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4.94 from 29 votes