Roasted Cod With Burst Tomatoes and Olives

By Kay Chun

Published Sept. 12, 2024

Roasted Cod With Burst Tomatoes and Olives
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(955)
Comments
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In this effortless one-skillet meal, cod fillets are simply pan-roasted — basted in butter on the stovetop  — then gently finished in a moderate oven to guarantee even cooking and tender, flaky fish. While the cod rests, the flavorful pan juices quickly turn into a bright, lemony sauce with sweet cherry tomatoes, briny olives, tangy capers and fragrant dill. The balance of buttery richness and bright acidity in the sauce complements the mild seafood, but this dish is versatile: Hake, halibut or some other similarly mellow white fish would also work nicely.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4(6-ounce) skinless, center-cut cod fillets (or hake, halibut or other mild white fish)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 8ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (1½ cups)
  • ⅓cup pitted chopped green olives
  • 1tablespoon chopped capers
  • 1tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2tablespoons chopped dill
  • Crusty bread, cooked rice or grains (such as quinoa or farro), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

342 calories; 18 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 664 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season fish with salt.

  2. Step 2

    In a 12-inch, oven-safe, nonstick skillet, heat oil with 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high. When butter melts and foaming subsides, arrange fish in a single layer and baste the tops with the butter mixture. Transfer to the oven and roast until fish is flaky, opaque throughout and just cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer fish to 4 serving plates.

  3. Step 3

    Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet and stir over medium heat until melted and light golden, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just start to soften and release juices, 2 minutes. Stir in olives, capers, lemon juice and dill; season with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Spoon some of the pan sauce over each piece of fish. Serve warm with crusty bread, rice or grains on the side.

Ratings

5 out of 5
955 user ratings
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Comments

Marge

After the cod had been roasting for several minutes. I added three tablespoons of white wine. After the cod had been roasting for another five minutes, I added the tomatoes, capers, olives, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan with the fish. I roasted it for another 5 minutes at which time the fish and vegetables were done. I placed the fish on plates and spooned the vegatables and sauce over it. I then sprinkled it with the dill. Delicious.

Lena

Delicious! I made two small adjustments - I roasted the tomatoes in the oven and I added a caramelized shallot for a little extra flavor.

DC Lynne

I traded more dishes for having the fish and sauce ready at the same time. I pre-heated the oven, put a sheet-pan in to warm, then started the fish in the skillet. Instead of putting the skillet in the oven, I transferred the fish to the hot sheet-pan (and vegetables to roast at the other end) and cooked 13 minutes. Meanwhile, I made the sauce in the pan. Tomatoes took more than 2 minutes to cook. Sauce and fish were done at the same time. Delicious.

Pond and Woods

I had limited time to cook so I used the method espoused by @DC Lynne and it worked perfectly. The presentation was not perfect, but the sauce has great red and green colors so I kind of buried my fragile fish in it and decorated the top with torn basil instead of dill because the garden is generous now. My crew wolfed it down! Will make this a thousand more times before I turn in my apron.

LeslieJ

I followed @Marge's method, but my tomatoes didn't really cook down, even after an extra 5 minutes (luckily I had thick pieces of cod). Could it be because I used grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?

Sally

My oven stopped working so I cooked this on the stovetop. I started with the 1 tbsp. olive oil and butter and cooked the cod 4 minutes on each side, adding a bit of white wine after flipping the fish. Then I took out the fish, added the tomatoes, cooking for 2 minutes, then added the rest of the ingredients as described in the recipe. Once the sauce was ready, a few minutes, I put the cod back in, to soak up the sauce for a minute or two, took the pan off the burner, and served.

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