Pan-seared Cod

The pan-seared cod is a simple and delicious dish typical of Mediterranean cuisine. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 600 g of soaked cod
• Flour, as needed for dusting
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Chopped parsley, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Black olives (optional)
• Salted capers (optional)

Preparation

1. Ensure that the cod has been well soaked and desalted. To do this, it usually needs to be kept in cold water for at least 24-48 hours, changing the water several times.
2. Dry the cod with paper towels and cut it into not too small pieces.
3. Lightly flour the pieces of cod.
4. In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil and add the garlic cloves to flavor it.
5. When the garlic is golden (be careful not to burn it), remove it and add the dusted cod pieces.
6. Cook the cod over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, until it becomes golden and crispy.
7. During cooking, if you wish, you can add black olives and well-rinsed salted capers to enhance the flavor of the dish.
8. Adjust with salt (if necessary, but remember that the cod might still be savory) and pepper.
9. At the end of cooking, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Serve the pan-seared cod hot, preferably with a simple vegetable side like sautéed spinach or boiled potatoes.

Curiosity

Cod has very ancient origins; it is said that the Basques discovered in past centuries that one could catch a lot of cod on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and preserve them in salt. Since then, cod has traveled the world, becoming a delicacy ingredient in many national cuisines.