Description
Pan-seared cod finished in a glossy lemon caper piccata sauce. Seared, sauced and on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For the cod:
4 (6-oz) skinless cod fillets, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick
3 tablespoons Wondra flour (substitute rice flour or all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, only if your cod isn't already salted, check the package
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (more, if needed for a good coating on the bottom of your pan)
For the piccata sauce:
5 tablespoons butter, divided (1 tablespoon to start, 3 tablespoons chilled, 1 tablespoon for the beurre manié)
3/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 small lemon, sliced thin (4 slices)
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, diced
Instructions
- Make the beurre manié first by mashing the softened butter with the flour into a smooth paste, then set it aside. Pat the cod completely dry with paper towels, check the package for added salt, and season with salt and pepper or pepper only, accordingly. Coat each fillet lightly in Wondra and shake off the excess.
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick or ceramic skillet over medium-high until shimmering, tilting the pan so the oil coats evenly, then add the fillets once the oil is hot. Sear undisturbed for three to four minutes until golden and the fish releases cleanly on its own. Flip once and cook another two to four minutes, pulling at 130°F internal. Carryover heat brings it to about 135°F, and it'll climb a bit further once it goes back into the hot sauce, landing right around the FDA's recommended 145°F by the time you serve it.
- Move the cod to a plate. Discard the oil from the skillet, wipe it clean, and return it to medium heat. Melt a tablespoon of butter, add the lemon slices, then the wine, and reduce by about a third. Add the broth and capers and reduce two minutes more. Whisk in the remaining cold butter and the beurre manié until glossy. Stir in the parsley and taste before adjusting salt.
- Bring the heat to low, nestle the cod back into the sauce, and spoon it over the fillets to warm through, about a minute.
Notes
- Using fresh, never-frozen cod? A stainless skillet works fine. Some cod at the store has been frozen and thawed, which holds extra surface moisture and will stick hard in stainless no matter how well you dry it. Nonstick or ceramic solves it.
- Check the package for salt. Some cod fillets, especially frozen, are salted before freezing. If yours is, skip the salt in this recipe and season with pepper only.
- Pull at 130°F. The fish keeps climbing off heat and again once it's back in the sauce, so pulling early prevents overcooking by the time it hits the plate.
- One flip, gentle hands. Use a thin fish spatula and flip only once.
- Wine-free: swap the wine for an equal amount of broth plus an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American, Italian