Cod Meunière
A classic French technique where cod fillets are lightly floured, pan-fried in butter and olive oil, then finished with a nutty brown butter sauce with lemon and garlic — one of the finest ways to cook delicate white fish.
Ingredients
- 600 gcod fillet
- 4 tbspwheat flour
- 50 gunsalted butter
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 3 piecegarlic cloves
- 1 piecelemon
- 1 fresh parsley
Method
- Thoroughly pat cod fillets dry on all sides. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Pour flour into a wide plate. Coat each piece of cod in a thin layer of flour, then tap to shake off all excess. The fish should be just lightly dusted.
- Heat olive oil and half the butter in a large pan over medium heat. When the mixture starts to foam, carefully add the fish. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer fish to a warm plate.
- Reduce heat to minimum. Add remaining butter to the same pan. Once melted, add thinly sliced garlic and cook 30-40 seconds until fragrant. Watch as the butter turns golden-brown (beurre noisette).
- Pour in the juice of half a lemon. It will sizzle and deglaze the pan. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley.
- Immediately pour the hot sauce over the fish. Serve with lemon wedges.
FAQ
Cod is a delicate fish with large flakes that easily separate if cooked incorrectly. The main reasons: too little flour coating (doesn't hold the crust), pan not hot enough, or flipping too often. Dredge the fillet in flour right before cooking — not in advance, or the flour will absorb moisture and become soggy. Place the fish in a well-heated mixture of butter and olive oil and don't touch it for 3–4 minutes: the crust will seal the flakes together. Flip only once, using a wide spatula.
Brown butter is made over medium heat: once the butter melts and stops foaming, the milk solids begin to darken. The moment the color turns nutty golden-brown and you smell a toasted hazelnut aroma — remove the pan from the heat immediately and add the lemon juice. The acid stops the browning. The whole process takes 2–3 minutes. If the butter turns dark brown or black, it's burnt and will taste bitter — you'll need to start over.
The best substitutes are white sea fish with firm but delicate flesh: haddock, pollock, sea bass, or flounder. Haddock is the closest alternative in texture and flavor, and cooks the same way. Flounder is very thin — reduce frying time to 2 minutes per side. Sea bass is fattier, so you can use less butter. Avoid oily fish like salmon or mackerel — the rich beurre noisette sauce will compete with their own strong flavor.
No — it's better to keep the skin on: it holds the fillet's shape and becomes crispy when cooked correctly. Place the fish skin-side down first, cook for 3–4 minutes until golden, then flip onto the flesh side for 2–3 minutes. If you don't like the skin when served, it's easy to remove on the plate. The only exception is if the skin is very thick or has large scales that weren't cleaned properly — in that case, remove it before cooking.
Cod meunière is best eaten immediately — this is one of those dishes where quality drops quickly. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 1 day. For reheating, the oven is better than a microwave: place at 160°C for 8–10 minutes, covered with foil. A microwave makes the fish rubbery. The beurre noisette sauce will separate after refrigeration — reheat it separately over low heat with a teaspoon of water, stirring.
Rate this
Recipes by email
One letter a week: a recipe picked for your taste, plus whatever is new on the site. Unsubscribe in one click.
Welcome gift: Sergei's cookbook (e-book).
By subscribing you agree to the privacy policy.
Tell us what you like to cook (30 seconds) →Keep browsing
More dishes from the French archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (1)
The residual heat continues cooking the cod fillet for 2-3 minutes after you remove it from the pan. I pull my cod meunière when it looks slightly underdone in the center — it finishes perfectly on the plate.