Cod With Brown Butter and Pine Nuts
Published March 5, 2025

- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4skinless cod fillets (each about 5 ounces and 1 inch thick)
- Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 3½tablespoons lemon juice
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ⅓cup pine nuts
- 1½teaspoons sumac
- 2tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves and tender stems
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
While the oven is heating, pat the cod dry with paper towels, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Sprinkle them all over with ¾ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Drizzle over the oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Step 3
Bake the fish for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the center is opaque and the fish flakes easily. (Increase or decrease the cooking times depending on the thickness of your fillets.)
- Step 4
After the fish has baked for 5 minutes, start the sauce: Add the butter to a small frying pan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, cook for 3 minutes, stirring the mixture all the while (it will start to foam). Add the pine nuts and a small pinch of salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, stirring often, until the pine nuts are golden and the butter is browned and smells nutty. Stir in the sumac, parsley and remaining lemon juice (which might spatter!) and quickly remove from the heat.
- Step 5
Divide the cod among plates, spoon over the brown butter and pine nut mixture and serve right away.
Private Notes
Comments
What’s a good substitute for sumac?
Lemon zest. (Also, use half the butter.)
Tasty dish to put into limited rotation so I don't feel so badly about all the butter. Served with couscous which absorbed the sauce delightfully, and a light salad. Wouldn't change a thing about this!
the sauce is really, really good and oh so easy to make. could be used with anything. maybe just the cod filets I used (defrosted from frozen) but it was a bit tough at the end of 10 minutes
The take away of this recipe is the brown butter sauce. I’ve used it in several dishes. Subbing in roasted pumpkin and sesame seeds and adding extra lemon juice and sumac powder makes it a standout!
I substituted za'atar and thought it was delicious. Served with a quinoa salad and cucumbers. Everyone liked the fish. We'll be eating this again.