We all eventually find ourselves at a moment in time, where we stare into the fridge, find some random ingredients and think to ourselves: What can I whip up with that I have at hand? A few weeks back I found myself in the same conundrum, we had some cod that was about to expire, few paprikas and zucchinis, with a half-used packet of tomato puree. So, it was time to use these ingredients together, with some pantry staples to make something yum! Turns out that this dish did end up tasting quite good. So I decided to make a proper recipe out of something that I initially just made out of my head.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

How to make this butter poached cod with spicy veggies:

Ingredients for 2 servings

Equipment needed

Chopping board
Garlic press
2 Non-stick pans
Chefs knife
Spoon to stir the sauce
Spatula to serve the fish

Ingredients

400 grams fresh cod
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1.5 Zucchini (and if you love veggies just add both)
1 paprika
1 small white onion
2 small garlic pod
200 ml tomato puree
2-3 sprigs thyme
Cayenne pepper as per preference
Minced fresh parsley, for serving [Optional]
Lemon wedges, for serving [Optional]

Instructions

Part 1: Preparation

Chop the paprika and zucchini into small-medium sized cubes.
Clean and mince/crush the garlic using a garlic press.
Portion out the butter and measure out the tomato puree.
Keep your dry ingredients at hand - cayenne pepper, salt & pepper.
Start heating your pan for the veggies over medium-low heat.

Part 2: Cooking

Heat your pan for a few minutes on medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter, garlic, and 2 sprigs of thyme.
Once the butter has melted and is bubbling a bit add the vegetables, then gently stir. After a few minutes add 200 ml tomato puree, lightly season with salt & pepper and cayenne pepper. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes on low. Give it a stir once or twice in between.
Take your second pan, and bring to medium heat. Then add the remaining butter, one sprig of thyme and let the butter melt.
Pat dry your cod fillets with a kitchen paper to absorb any extra moisture. [Tip: Bring your cod to room temperature before cooking]
Now carefully place the cod fillets in the butter in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, then with a spoon pour the butter over the top of each fillet. Adjust the heat to keep the butter just below a simmer (you don’t want your butter burning) in order to prevent the fish from breaking. Continue poaching till the cod becomes opaque. Note, thicker fillets may need to be flipped to cook thoroughly. The poaching should take 5-8 minutes. At this point, if you’ve done everything correctly, your cod will be perfectly cooked, tender, moist and very flaky.

Part 3: Serving

Spoon vegetables on to a plate first.
Now is the most difficult part of this recipe, carefully placing the poached cod fillets over the veggie sauce mix! In our case the cod was moist and super flaky, so took some effort to scoop it off the pan and add place it over the veggies.
Drizzle the remaining butter from the pan on the cod, around the plate and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the veggies.
[Optional] Sprinkle with chopped parsley and a lemon wedge on the side.

Enjoy! Let us know what you think of the recipe

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Butter Poached Cod with Spicy Veggies recipe