No wine? No problem. Lemon gives all the brightness and lift necessary—tempered with a little honey and a few pats of butter. Dusting the cod with flour helps it achieve that golden brown color, while a finishing flurry of tarragon makes this speedy weeknight dish feel restaurant-worthy. If you skip the tiny roasted potatoes, serve with bread or rice; you’ll want something to sop up every last drop of sauce. (If you’re not a fan of tarragon, feel free to omit, or substitute with another tender herb like parsley, dill, or chives.)
Recipe information
Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1½
2
½
⅓
4
1
5
¼
1
1
¼
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°. Place 1½ lb. small potatoes, halved, quartered if larger, on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and season with kosher salt. Toss to coat and arrange in a single layer. Roast until golden brown underneath, about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, place ⅓ cup all-purpose flour on a plate. Season four 4–6-oz. cod fillets, patted dry with paper towels, all over with salt and freshly ground pepper. Lay one side of each fillet in flour to coat; shake off any excess and place, flour side up, on another plate. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook fish, flour side down, undisturbed, until golden brown and crisp underneath, 5–7 minutes. Turn; cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer, flour side up, to a clean plate.
Step 3
Add 1 shallot, finely chopped, and 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter to same pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is slightly softened, 1–2 minutes. Add ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. honey, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 cup water. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat; add ¼ cup tarragon leaves and remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter and stir until sauce is emulsified. Season with salt.
Step 4
Arrange fish, flour side up, in pan and spoon some sauce over. Season with pepper and scatter more tarragon leaves on top. Serve with potatoes on the side.