Citrus Roasted Cod with Tarragon Brown Butter and Honey
Fish is well suited to most methods of cooking, especially baking. However, baking fish has the potential to dry it out, and we want to maintain that perfect, buttery texture. Here are a few things home cooks can do to keep their baked seafood dishes juicy and delicious.First, be sure to brush the fish with oil and season to taste. If you’re baking a thicker piece of lean, flaky white fish, such as cod or halibut, a great way to achieve extra flavor and moisture is to add a bit of liquid (about ¼ cup), such as wine or seafood stock, to the baking dish.For this recipe, I also layer citrus slices on top of the fish. The citrus juices provide extra moisture and additional flavor, and it makes a pretty presentation. Once the fish is done, it’s finished with a silky honey tarragon brown butter.The bonus to all these steps for maintaining texture is that they are simple yet pack tons of flavor, making this a lovely weeknight meal or Sunday dinner.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 to 1½ pounds Cod 1 skinless fillet, such as true cod, Pacific cod, lingcod, black cod, or pollack; removed from the refrigerator 15 minutes prior to cooking
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil Extra-virgin
- Salt To Taste
- 1 large lemon Sliced
- 1 medium navel orange Sliced
- 1 to 2 blood oranges Sliced
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon if you don’t care for tarragon, replace with fresh basil
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove Minced
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the cod fillet in an oval or rectangular baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.1 to 1½ pounds Cod, 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, Salt
- Place the lemon and orange slices over the fish, alternating among the citrus.1 large lemon, 1 medium navel orange, 1 to 2 blood oranges
- Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish fillet. Most fish will cook through in 10 minutes for every inch of thickness.
- However, often whole fish fillets (fillets not cut into serving-size pieces) will take a bit longer to cook. The fish is done when it is opaque and just begins to flake.
Prepare Honey-Tarragon Brown Butter
- While the baked fish rests, heat the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat.
- This is so you can see the butter brown.8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter
- When the butter melts, stir often until butter begins to froth.
- Just as the froth dissipates, you’ll see brown flecks of butter fat on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tarragon, lemon juice, honey, and garlic.1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon, Squeeze of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 garlic clove
Final Touch
- Season the honey tarragon butter with salt and pepper to taste and then drizzle it over the fish. Serve immediately with or without the citrus slices.