Pan Seared Cod with Mustard Caper Cream Sauce

If you’re looking for simple cod recipes, you’ll love this lively flavored version. Topped with a quick and luscious Mustard Caper Cream Sauce makes this a super exciting seafood entree. This pan fried cod recipe uses a classic restaurant technique for a beautifully seared cod fillet. A method that can easily be mastered at home.

Purchasing quality seafood

Purchasing seafood for our weekly seafood entree finds me experiencing mini-anxiety issues when approaching the seafood counter.

• What will they have?
• Will I know what it is? … Turbot? Never heard of it.
• How much will it cost?
• Will I be able to prepare it correctly?
• Is it wild caught?
• How fresh is it… really.
• Should I just purchase it from the freezer section instead?
• Cooking fish is such a fickle event for me.
• …actually, those chicken breasts in the next section look more familiar and safer.

Sound familiar?

Sitka Salmon Shares to the rescue.

I’m so glad I found a company by the name of Sitka Salmon Shares. Especially being land locked like we are here in Colorado.

Blast-frozen at the peak of freshness, Sitka Salmon Shares delivers fresh as I could ever dream of seafood, directly to my front doorstep. It’s a very cool program. Check it out, and head over to their website for the full story.

Who is Sitka Salmon Shares And How Are They Changing The Way Americans Eat Fish? Simple, it’s a boat to doorstep program that brings wild Alaskan seafood straight from their fisherman’s collective to your home. Pristine fish from pristine waters, small boat companies that depend on fishing for their livelihood.

Responsible: harvested using fishing methods that minimize negative ecological impacts.

• More than two-thirds of the world’s seafood is overfished (Forbes).
• Sitka Salmon never uses high impact trawl or bottom trawl gear. 
• Alaska’s sustainable fisheries management system is the strictest in the world, relying on science-based catch limits to ensure that long-term population health.

It’s a win-win. You get some of the best seafood you’ll ever taste and you feel good about your purchase.

And where there’s fresh Alaskan seafood, you’ll find plenty of fresh cod. And I’m thrilled to be honing my skills for preparing the best cod recipes I possibly can.

Due to the dependability and quality of the fresh seafood I receive from this company, I have agreed to be an affiliate member. That means two things, I can offer you a $25 discount on your purchase from Sitka Salmon, and I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Simply use the discount code of COTR

How to pan fry cod, successfully

I personally think it’s harder to cook a thin piece of fish than a thick one. And cod is a thin fillet, delicate light and flakey. Plus it has a tendency to break when you handle it. Here are some tips I learned in Culinary School for a successful pan fried cod fillet.

• Make sure the cod fillet is nice and dry. Patting with a paper towel will do the trick.
• Create a barrier for the delicate flesh of cod by dusting the cod with flour. I like the light texture of Wondra Flour. Season the cod fillet with salt and pepper and then sprinkle it generously with the flour. Shake off any excess flour. The flour will help hold the fish together. You can also use panko bread crumbs in place of the flour.
• Using a heavy bottomed pan. A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is a good choice. Let that skillet get nice and hot over medium high heat for a couple of minutes before adding the oil. Then let the oil heat to a shimmering point before adding the fresh cod fillets.
• Don’t be afraid of hot oil, if you’ve practiced due diligence in drying that cod fillet, the spattering will be virtually non-existent.
• Choosing a neutral oil with a high smoking point will help sear the flesh quicker to reduce the risk of the fish falling apart. Canola oil, vegetable oil and grape seed oil are good examples.
• Don’t over cook the fish. About 4 – 5 minutes per side and your fish will be crispy on the outside and flakey on the inside. And only turn the fish once. The less handling the better.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, I’d put it on my wish list if I were you. It’s a beautiful piece of equipment to have in your kitchen. It sears and browns so beautifully, you’ll feel like a restaurant chef.

I’ve even trusted delicate scallops to my cast iron for our favorite Seared Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce.

Recipe for Pan Fried Cod with Mustard Caper Sauce

Here’s why this recipe works. The delicate sweet flavor of fresh cod shines through the briny caper and tart mustard sauce. Keep the side dishes simple in flavor as to not have to many over-powering flavor on the plate. Serve with a fresh crisp tossed green salad, garlic butter baked potatoes or even simple pan grilled salt and peppered summer squash.

I hope you give this pan fried cod recipe a try and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a recipe that you would consider to fall into the best cod recipes category, let me know, I’d love to give it a try. And speaking of best cod recipes, you’ll find some great recipe ideas for Pacific Cod over at Sitka Salmon website. Check it out.

More Cod Fish Recipes

• Grilled Tequila Lime Cod Fish Tacos, Cod gets a quick marinade in lime juice, orange juice, some chili powder and the party gets even better because there’s tequila involved. 
• Cod Cooked in Parchment, This Steamed Cod in Parchment with spinach, potatoes and mushrooms is an easy fun-filled meal.
• Battered Fried Cod with Rose Marie Sauce, Marie Rose Sauce is a classic sauce for any seafood but especially good with battered cod.
• Shrimp and Cod Bourride, An elegant French seafood stew for a luscious dinner entree that everyone should take the time to make.
• Black Cod with Miso Glaze, Buttery and tender black cod is marinated in a magical miso ginger garlic glaze. Seared stovetop and finished in the oven.
• Oven Roasted Lingcod with Lemon Aioli: This ling cod recipe is topped with an easy lemon aioli and served over wilted Swiss chard making this a restaurant quality feel special seafood meal

And if you’re looking for more seafood recipes, don’t miss my Seafood Category, you’ll find some fun recipes including the most popular recipe on my site for Heavenly Halibut.

Culinary School Tip:

If you’re a caper lover like me, you’ll always have a jar of capers in brine in your refrigerator. They’re easy to find and have an indefinite shelf life. However, the vinegar in the brine sharpens the flavor of capers.

Look for salted capers next time and give them a try and let me know what you think. They’re packed in salt, and have a more pure flavor. However, the salt draws the moisture out the caper, which shortens the shelf life, Always rinse salted capers a couple of times before using.

Pan Fried Cod with Mustard Caper Sauce …It’s What’s for Dinner.