Four minutes skin side down, two minutes in butter: pan-fried cod loin is a matter of timing to the minute. The quickest method, and the most delicate: cod flesh is fragile, so it is cooked skin on and turned only once.
- Serves 4
- Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 skin-on Icelandic cod loins (150 to 180 g each)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 40 g butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp capers (optional)
- Salt, freshly ground pepper
Method
- Dry the loins very carefully, especially the skin side. Salt them 10 minutes before cooking, then pat dry again.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan until it shimmers. Lay the loins skin side down and press for 10 seconds with a spatula so they do not curl.
- Cook for 4 minutes without touching them, over a medium-high heat, until the flesh has whitened two-thirds of the way up.
- Turn gently, add the butter and shallot. When the butter foams and turns nut-brown, spoon it over the loins for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Off the heat, squeeze the lemon into the pan and add the capers. Serve skin side up, coated in brown butter.
The right product
For the pan, keep the skin on: Our skin-on cod loins, delivered chilled in 24 to 48 hours.