This one pan blackened cod is bold and smokey, a little bit spicy and super easy. Serve it over top of this tomato garlic butter sauce for healthy 15 minute dinner that everyone will love.
This cod!!! Tender, flakey and loaded with flavour. And the tomato sauce. Please don't skip it! It goes perfectly with the blackened cod.
The sauce is full of fresh garlic, juicy bright tomatoes, butter and lots of peppery fresh chopped basil with some white beans and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Try more fish recipes like this coconut curry salmon, or the honey garlic sheet pan salmon.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This blackened cod is a very speedy recipe taking only about 15 minutes.
- If you're needing a healthy, low fat and low carb recipe, this is it! Making the tomato bean sauce means that you don't have to spend any time making side dishes... unless you want to.
- The tomato garlic butter sauce is the perfect pairing with the fish. It's more of a ragu than a sauce, but it's the perfect match.
Ingredients needed
- cod fillets- At Aldi you can get fresh cod or frozen fillets. The frozen is cheaper so I get that one. It says on the package to cook from frozen, but I thaw the fillets first and dry them with a paper towel before cooking.
- Cajun seasoning- Blackened and Cajun seasoning are very similar. Cajun is usually a little bit spicier, but this Aldi version isn't overly spicy. It has a bold smokey flavour with a spicy kick. If you'd like it spicier you could make your own, or add some cayenne to the ready made.
- tomatoes- vine ripened or plum would be great here.
- white beans- butter beans or canellini beans would be great.
- garlic
- basil and parsley
- butter- salted
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1 & 2
- Start with marinating the beans in the fresh tomatoes to start the sauce.
- Chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl with the white beans (drained and rinsed) and the parsley. Season well and add a squeeze of lemon. Do this before anything else so that the tomatoes have a time to release their juices and everything can marinate.
Step 3 & 4
- Use some paper towel to dry off the cod fillets. Place them on a tray and coat with the blackened seasoning on both sides.
- Heat some oil (vegetable works well) in a non stick or cast iron skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the cod to the pan and cook on both sides for about 4 minutes until the cod is golden brown and there are parts of the fish that are charred from the blackened seasoning. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 5 & 6
- Once the fish is cooked and set aside add the tomato and bean mixture to the pan and bring up to a gentle simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Add the butter and a splash of water if the sauce seems a little dry. This will depend on the amount of juice in the tomatoes.
- When the sauce is velvety and is the consistency to evenly coat the back of a spoon, add the blackened cod back to the pan to warm through.
Hint: Take the fish out of the fridge for a few minutes before cooking. This will help the cod cook more evenly.
Recipe: FAQ
Cajun seasoning has a bit more spice and consists of a mix of peppers while creole is more herbal with rosemary thyme and oregano. You can read more about them here.
Absolutely! You can make your own seasoning. See the recipe card below for a mix.
Any flakey white fish will work for this recipe. Halibut, tilapia or barramundi are all great options. You can also use salmon. The higher fat content of salmon goes really well with the spice and the acidity of the tomatoes and the creaminess of the beans.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. When cooking fish it's really important to make sure that you are using a non stick pan.
Cast iron is naturally non stick and is a great conductor of heat, making it my choice for cooking fish.
- Here's the one that I use- cast iron skillet
- Or use a non stick frying pan.
Storage
The fish should be eaten the day it's cooked but the tomato sauce will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. It's goes really well in a baked potato or just for dipping from sourdough bread into.
Top tips
- Treat the fish gently. Place the fish down in the pan and cook it undisturbed for about 4 minutes before flipping it over.
- If you try and flip the fish over and it seems stuck give it a few more minutes. Fish will naturally release when it's cooked.
- Let the fish come to room temperature and dry it off before placing in the hot skillet.
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Ingredients
- 4 medium cod fillets
- 4 tablespoons cajun spice
For the sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-6 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tin white beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 lemon, juice only
- ½ bunch parsely, chopped
- ½ bunch basil, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the homemade cajun spice
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion granules
Instructions
- MARINATE TOMATOES AND BEANS: Chop the vine tomatoes roughly and combine them with olive oil, garlic, half the herbs, salt, pepper, and white beans in a small bowl. Set aside to marinate while cooking the fish (although the longer they marinate, the yummier your sauce will be).
- FISH: Heat a quick swish of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Pat the fish dry, season with cajun spice, and pan-fry on each side for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- SAUCE: Add the tomato white bean mixture to the skillet and add the butter. Bring to a low simmer – the sauce should start to thicken. Add some water as needed to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper. When the sauce is velvety and loose enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon, add the fish back in. Spoon the sauce over top of the fish and serve. Goes perfectly with a green salad and crusty bread.
Notes
- Be sure to dry the fish before coating with the cajun spice.
- Start with a hot pan to fry the fish.
- Cook the fish undisturbed for the first 4 minutes. Fish will naturally release from the cooking surface once it's cooked.
Laura
I’m confused by the comment ‘tomatoes and their juices’ as there is no instructions to chop or otherwise release the juices from the tomatoes. Can you please clarify?
Laura
Sorry, just realised in the long version it says to chop the tomatoes but doesn’t in the short version which is the one I was looking at.
Deborah Rainford
Sorry about that, Laura. I just updated the recipe to include chopping the tomatoes. It's fixed now. Thanks for catching that! 🙂
Deborah Rainford
Hi Laura. Just any of the juice left on your cutting board from the tomatoes. Depending on the type of tomatoes and the season, the juiciness of the tomatoes will vary, so it's definitely not an exact measurement. Just whatever is released when you cut the tomatoes. 🙂
Dua
Completly yummy, a wee bit spicy for the youngest (aldi was out of cajun so got a branded one).p though
Everyone ate it up though and I thought it was totally delicious!
Julia
Gorgeous easy recipe. Loved it. Going to try it with chicken too!