Equipment
Ingredients
Fish
- 600 g cod fillets, boneless and skinless
- 15 ml olive oil
- 4 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Brown Butter Sauce
- 60 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 30 g pine nuts
- 5 g sumac
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 5 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C or 400F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
Thoroughly dry the cod fillets using paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt and black pepper, then arrange them in the prepared baking dish.
Bake the cod for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The fish is ready when it turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork, or reaches an internal temperature of 63C or 145F.
While the cod bakes, place the unsalted butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Allow it to melt and foam. Continuously swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and golden brown specks appear at the bottom, which takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
Immediately add the pine nuts to the skillet with the browned butter. Toast them for 1 to 2 minutes until they are fragrant and lightly golden, then remove the skillet from the heat to stop the cooking process.
Stir the sumac and fresh lemon juice into the butter and pine nut mixture. Be careful as the lemon juice may cause the hot butter to sputter briefly.
Transfer the baked cod to serving plates using a spatula. Generously spoon the warm brown butter, pine nut, and sumac sauce over the top of the fish. Garnish with chopped parsley if using, and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Patting the cod completely dry before baking is crucial. Surface moisture will steam the fish rather than allowing it to bake, resulting in a mushy texture.
- Sumac has a wonderfully tart, slightly fruity profile that mimics lemon but adds a brilliant crimson color. If you cannot find sumac, substitute with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of lemon zest.
- When browning butter, the transition from golden and nutty to burnt happens in seconds. Stay at the stove and use your nose as much as your eyes to judge when it is ready.
- Pine nuts are delicate and burn easily. Tossing them into the hot butter at the very end utilizes the residual heat to perfectly toast them without risking char.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The butter sauce will solidify when chilled.
Freezer: 1 month — Freezing is possible but may slightly alter the texture of the cod and the crunch of the pine nuts.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a 150C or 300F oven until just warmed through to avoid overcooking the fish.
