Seared Cod over Crushed Peas with Leek and Mint
Thick cod fillets seared until golden and set over green peas crushed with softened leek, torn mint, lemon, and olive oil.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
An almost empty refrigerator and a bag of peas still in the freezer describes most Thursdays, and this is what comes of it. Frozen peas are one of the few convenience foods that genuinely beat their fresh counterpart, because they are shelled and frozen within hours of picking and stay sweet in a way that peas sitting in a pod for a week do not. Crushing them rather than blending keeps the texture interesting: some whole, some broken, some collapsed into a loose green sauce that catches everything else in the bowl.
Cod wants a hot pan and very little handling. It is a wet, delicate fish, so I dry the fillets hard with paper towel first, salt them just before they go in, and then leave them entirely alone for four minutes so a golden face forms. Moving a cod fillet early is how you end up with shreds in a skillet and nothing on the plate. The peas cook in the same pan afterward with the leek and garlic, which means the browned bits the fish left behind go straight into the green.
Sweet peas, soft leek, sharp lemon, and cold mint against hot fish is a combination that tastes like early summer even in February. The bowl is more substantial than it looks, because a pound and a half of cod is a real amount of fish and the peas underneath are not a garnish. I put this in a week where the other dinners are heavy on browning and spice, since this one is clean-tasting and green and gives the week a different note.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb skinless cod fillets, cut into 4 thick pieces
- 5 cups frozen green peas (about 1 lb 5 oz), no need to thaw
- 1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, halved and sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Dry and season the cod: Pat the cod pieces very dry on both sides with paper towel, pressing rather than wiping. Sprinkle them with the salt and half the black pepper right before cooking, not earlier, since salt sitting on fish draws water to the surface and that water stops it browning.
- Sear the fillets: Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay the cod in presentation side down and leave it untouched for four minutes, until the edges turn opaque and the underside is golden. Turn once and cook two to three minutes more, until a paring knife slips through the thickest part with no resistance. Move to a plate and tent loosely.
- Soften the leek: Add the second tablespoon of oil to the same pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the sliced leek for three minutes, stirring often and scraping up the golden bits the fish left behind, until it is limp and sweet but not colored. Stir in the garlic and cook forty five seconds, just to the point where you can smell it.
- Cook the peas: Tip the frozen peas straight into the pan with 1/4 cup water and the rest of the pepper. Cover and cook four minutes over medium-high, shaking the pan once, until the peas are bright green and hot through. Uncover and let any loose water boil away for thirty seconds.
- Crush and finish: Take the pan off the heat. Press the peas against the bottom and sides with a fork or a potato masher until roughly half of them are broken and the rest are whole, which takes about a minute. Stir in the lemon juice and the torn mint.
- Plate it: Spoon the crushed peas into four shallow bowls, set a cod fillet on each with any juices from the plate, and serve at once with lemon wedges. The peas should be loose enough to spread when the fish lands on them.
Variations
- Dill and cucumber: Swap the mint for chopped dill and scatter thin cucumber half moons over the top for a cold crunch against the warm peas.
- Green herb oil: Blend the mint with the olive oil and lemon into a loose green oil and spoon it over the plated fish rather than stirring it through.
- Shrimp: Use a pound of large shrimp in place of the cod, cooked two minutes a side in the same pan, for a version that comes together even faster.
- Peas and greens: Wilt two handfuls of arugula or watercress into the peas just before crushing, which adds a peppery edge to the sweetness.
- Charred lemon: Halve two lemons and sear them cut side down in the empty pan for two minutes before the fish goes in, then squeeze the caramelized juice over at the table.
Storage & Leftovers
The peas keep three days sealed in the refrigerator and are arguably better cold the next day, spread on a plate under whatever else you are eating. The mint dulls overnight, so tear a few fresh leaves in when you bring them back out and the bowl tastes new again.
Cooked cod holds two days but does not love being reheated, since a second round of heat turns tender flakes into cotton. If you know you will have leftovers, cook the peas fully and sear only as much fish as you plan to eat, then cook the rest fresh the next evening in four minutes flat.
The crushed peas freeze well for up to three months in a flat sealed bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and warm them gently in a pan with a splash of water, adding the lemon and mint after they are hot. I would not freeze the cod once it has been seared.
Notes & Tips
- Press the fish dry, do not wipe it: Wiping drags at the flakes and breaks the surface. Press paper towel flat against each side and lift it straight off.
- Salt the cod at the last moment: Salt sitting on wet fish pulls more water to the surface, and surface water is the enemy of a golden face.
- Crush, do not blend: A fork or masher leaves whole peas among the broken ones, which is what makes the bed interesting. A blender turns the whole thing into baby food.
- Slice the leek and wash it after: Grit hides between the layers. Slice first, then swirl the rings in a bowl of cold water and lift them out, leaving the sand behind.
- Use a wide pan for the fish: Four fillets need space around them. Crowded, they release water faster than the pan can drive it off and you get pale, steamed fish.
- Tear the mint, do not chop it: A knife bruises mint and turns the cut edges black within minutes. Torn leaves stay green and taste cleaner.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Cod and peas balance each other on the plate. The fish carries almost all of the protein, the peas underneath bring the fiber and the sweetness, and the lemon and mint keep a bowl this soft from tasting one-note.
- Cod is a mild, snow-white fish with large flakes and very little fat, which is why it takes a hard sear so well and why it turns tough if you keep cooking it. It brings a good amount of protein for its weight along with selenium and vitamin B12.
- Green peas are a legume rather than a vegetable, which is where their protein and their generous fiber come from. Frozen at the peak of sweetness, they hold onto vitamin C and vitamin K, and crushing them releases the starch that makes the bed hold together.
- Leek softens into pale sweet threads that carry the flavor of the pan into every bite, and it feeds the bacteria in your gut with the same kind of fiber onions and garlic supply. Cooked slowly enough it never bites the way raw allium does.
- Torn mint and lemon juice go in with the burner off, and they are doing the real work at the end. The mint keeps its cool green flavor rather than cooking away, and the acid lifts the sweetness of the peas so the last spoonful still tastes bright.
- As you eat, notice how the whole peas pop against the crushed ones and how the mint arrives after the sweetness rather than with it, and take the bowl sitting down rather than standing over the stove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use another white fish?
Haddock, pollock, and halibut all work with no change to the timing, as long as the pieces are about an inch thick. Thinner fillets like tilapia or sole need two minutes a side rather than four and two, so watch them closely and turn them only once.
My cod fell apart in the pan. What happened?
Two usual causes. Either the fillets went in wet, so they steamed and never formed the crust that holds them together, or they got moved too early. Dry them hard, wait for the oil to shimmer, and give the first side a full four minutes before you touch it.
Do I have to use frozen peas?
Frozen is what I would buy for this even in June. Fresh shelled peas work beautifully if you have them, though they need only two to three minutes and lose their sweetness fast once cooked. Do not use canned peas here, since they are already soft and crush into paste.
Can I make the peas ahead?
Yes, and it turns this into a ten-minute dinner. Cook and crush them up to two days early, hold back the lemon and mint, and warm them in a pan with a splash of water while the cod sears. Stir the acid and the herbs in at the very end as written.