Cod Piccata

This cod preparation I learned from Hello Fresh. They paired it with sauteed spinach and Israeli couscous and called the meal The Great Caper. I still pair it myself with spinach, but often switch out the couscous for another veggie or rice pilaf. The lemon, thyme, capers & butter create a delicious sauce that goes well on the spinach and mashed potatoes. The hardest prep part to this recipe is getting the leaves off the thyme. It comes together in about 6 minutes, so you need to have everything else ready.

Ingredients

  • ¾ pound of cod per person; it’s so good everyone goes back for seconds
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • small handful of capers, drained and rinsed
  • 2-to-4 T fresh thyme leaves; stems removed ← in a rush, just use as is, no biggie
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 4 T butter – or more if you want to create more delicious sauce
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Heat a drizzle of olive oil in another large pan over medium-high heat ← use a nonstick pan if you have one
  • Season cod on all sides with salt and pepper ← I salt only one side since otherwise it can taste too salty to me. You can always add more salt later if it needs it.
  • Add to pan and cook until nicely browned on surface, 2-3 minutes per side
  • Add thyme and butter to pan.
  • Once melted, spoon butter over cod and thyme until cod is cooked through, about 1 minute
  • Add capers and a squeeze of lemon and gently shake the pan to distribute
  • Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper ←I’ve never needed to
  • Discard thyme ←I think that if you don’t take the thyme leaves off the stems, then you do this. If you take the time to take the thyme off the stems, then leave in.
  • It can be tricky to get the cod out of the pan and into a serving dish keeping it looking nice and pretty. I recommend serving it to the table in the pan it was cooked in. Make sure you have a spoon to dish out the sauce from the fish to drizzle over the spinach!

Suggested Sides

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