Ding dong! 🎵 Are you looking for a recipe ready in 15 minutes? 🎶 Here it is! Try the pan-seared cod with yellow cherry tomatoes, and I’m sure you’ll like it! 🎶
What do you think? Could it work as a rhyming jingle? 😄 With the right little tune… it might work to advertise cod fillets? 😄
😁😄
Ahhhh, come on! Let’s lighten up the introductions! Otherwise, how boring these recipes would be, made only of ingredients and procedures and weights and portions and perfectly framed photos!
What can be said about such a simple main course like this, other than it’s easy to make and ready in a quarter of an hour, no more? I could say it has no bones? And that kids like it? Yessss, for sure! But these are things that are always said when cod fillets are involved! 😄
Sometimes I try to throw in a bit of humor. 😊 Even though today I actually want to add something more serious about the recipe, which is that the cod I cooked today is certified sustainable MSC cod, a fishing method aimed at safeguarding marine populations by combating overfishing and destructive fishing.
I’ve already started buying this type of frozen fish a few years ago, after watching a documentary on large fishing ships (the Monster Boats), which unfortunately fish in a destructive manner and without respecting the sea’s repopulation rates.
Sometimes you simply don’t know about these things, and I must say, I wasn’t aware of or hadn’t reflected enough on the existence of such damaging industrial fishing methods. With a simple online search, you can see what it’s all about, and I don’t doubt that you’ll start checking for the MSC label on packaging, just like I did.
Cod is a very light, digestible fish and low in fat. Boiled cod, seasoned only with oil and parsley, was one of the fish dishes from my childhood, a recurring fish main course, along with soles, that my mom would cook for us when we were kids, usually for lunch after returning from school.
Now our lifestyle is no longer like it was when I was a child, the rhythms (or perhaps I should say the rituals) of shopping every morning and always cooking fresh things just bought are gone, the trusted fishmonger from back then is no longer here, and my mom’s ability to recognize fresh fish by looking it in the eye, which she taught me, has been replaced by a daily life dictated by other priorities. One of which is, for better or worse, the need to have a quick lunch and prepare it in ten minutes.
Wow, what an introduction today! I went from a rhyming tune to the exploitation of the seas and ended with nostalgia for the times that were… haha, stop me!! 😄
Actually no, one last thing! This pan-seared cod with yellow cherry tomatoes is my proposal for the Light and Tasty column, today’s topic: a simple and quick second course! Enjoy your meal!!!
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Looking for more recipes with frozen fish? Here are three! 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 3 Minutes
- Portions: 3Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz cod fillets (frozen)
- 10 yellow cherry tomatoes (or more, to taste)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- marjoram
- oregano
Tools
- Frying Pan
- Lid
- Kitchen Spatula
Steps
Roughly chop the garlic clove and cut the washed cherry tomatoes in half.
Place everything raw in the pan, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and still frozen cod fillets.
Add a drizzle of oil and cook for 5 minutes over high heat with the lid closed.
👉 The quantity of cherry tomatoes can be increased to taste (I limited myself because my son doesn’t eat tomatoes 😌, so they were all just for me).
When the cod releases water, lower the heat.
Turn the fillets using a spatula.
Season with marjoram and oregano.
Continue cooking without the lid, or with the lid slightly open, for another 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
👉 The package of fillets I used had a pan cooking time of 8-10 minutes after a brief thawing. Using it frozen required a few more minutes.
Optionally pierce with a fork to check if it’s done.
Serve the pan-seared cod with yellow cherry tomatoes immediately, nice and hot.
Optionally, add a drizzle of raw oil and a few drops of lemon, if desired.
Salt-free Tips
Sea fish does not require additional salt. A clove of garlic, a pinch of aromatic herbs, and the juice from the cherry tomatoes are all you need to enhance the natural good taste of these excellent fillets. The only possible addition could be a bit of lemon juice and/or a little zest. 🍋 Lemon is always very useful in low-sodium cooking.
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▪ Gradually reduce the salt, your palate needs to get used to it slowly and should not notice the gradual reduction.
▪ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▪ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▪ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▪ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▪ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▪ Prefer fresh foods.
▪ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▪ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▪ Occasionally give yourself a treat outside the rule. It’s good for morale and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want to, or can’t, give up salt:
▪ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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Other Light and Tasty Recipes:
Here are the other proposals for Light and Tasty all dedicated to “simple and quick main courses”: 👇
Carla Emilia: Heart Slices with Garlic and Parsley
Claudia: Chicken Thighs with Peppers
Daniela: Frittata with Mushrooms and Spinach
Elena: Crunchy Chicken with Corn Flakes
Milena: Nutty Fish (Spotted Dogfish) with Mustard Sauce
Carla Emilia: Heart Slices with Garlic and Parsley
Claudia: Chicken Thighs with Peppers
Daniela: Frittata with Mushrooms and Spinach
Elena: Crunchy Chicken with Corn Flakes
Milena: Nutty Fish (Spotted Dogfish) with Mustard Sauce
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What can I use instead of yellow cherry tomatoes?
You can use red cherry tomatoes of your preferred variety (cherry, piccadilly, grape).
What if I can’t find fresh yellow cherry tomatoes?
You can use red cherry tomatoes, or canned yellow cherry tomatoes, which are readily available at supermarkets.
