This recipe for pan fried cod pairs up the firm flakey white cod with a tasty bed of green lentils with smokey bacon. It is easy to cook and delivers a delicious warming meal.

About Our Cod

Cod are a cold-water species found in waters all around the UK. They are far more common around the UK in autumn and winter. Smaller fish however do remain around the UK all year. As with many fish cod form into large, loose shoals when small but become solitary once they reach larger sizes.

Because we like to have the best quality and selection of fish on our counter for our customers and because catches vary with each boat (plus regional and seasonal differences) we source from a variety of different markets and suppliers. If you want to know more about the fish you are buying and where it is sourced from take a look at the information on our shop labels.

Ingredients below are for two but you can easily scale for more people.

Ingredients For Pan Fried Cod

2 x 150 – 200g cod fillets from Walter Purkis and Sons
Olive oil and butter for frying
Salt and pepper for season

For the lentils:
100g dry green lentils (they about double in size when cooked)
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 small stick of celery, diced
1 large garlic clove chopped
100g smoked streaky bacon roughly chopped
150ml glass of dry white wine
500ml of stock
Extra virgin olive oil
Bay leaf
Sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Chopped flat leaf parsley  garnish

Cooking Method For Pan Fried Cod

Before you start wash the dried lentils to remove any dust or grit.  Next fry the bacon until cooked and sarting to brown then remove from the pan and put to one side. Next add the diced vegetables and fry gently until softened.

When soft add in the chopped garlic also return the bacon. Now add in the lentils and the stock and glass  of wine. Place in the bay leaves and thyme, simmer until the lentils are soft which will take about 20-25 minutes.

Dry the cod portions with a kitchen towel and season well. To cook the fish add a small amount of oil and to a frying pan over a high heat. Put the fish skin side down into the pan.  You will see fish change colour becoming more opaque as it cooks. It will only take about 5 minutes. Turn it over and add a little butter and baste for a further minute.

To serve place the cod on a bed of lentils and serve right away. Sprinkle with some of the chopped parsley as a garnish