Pan Fried Cod Fillets with New Potatoes

Cod fillets are simply pan fried and served with new potatoes and salad

This is a really simple way of cooking fresh cod fillets to perfection. This is a codling which I caught myself and carefully filleted. It is essential for this recipe that if you are buying the cod fillets, you be sure to get them with the skin still on.

Larger cod fillet was halved for frying

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small cod fillets (skin on)
5 new potatoes (or as required)
1 tablespoon plain/all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Little bit of butter
1 teaspoon chopped chives
Handful of green leaf salad combination of choice
1 tablespoon canned sweetcorn (drained)

Cod fillet skin sides are dusted with seasoned flour

Directions

Put the potatoes in to a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer until the potatoes are soft. This will usually take somewhere in the region of about twenty-five minutes.

Scatter the flour on a plate and season. Bring a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil up to a medium heat in a frying pan before patting the skin side only of the cod in the seasoned flour. Gently shake off the excess flour and lay the cod in the pan skin side down.

Butter and chopped chives are added to the drained new potatoes

The cod should be fried for a few minutes on the skin side until you can see it is almost done. While this is happening, drain the potatoes and return them to the pot with the butter and chives. Gently swirl the pot or stir with a wooden spoon to coat the potatoes in the herb butter.

Salad bed for cod fillets is plated

Reduce the heat under the frying pan and turn the cod carefully on to its flesh side for a minute or so to complete cooking. Lay the salad on your serving plate where it will become a bed for the cod.

Cod fillets are laid on salad bed

Lift the cod with a spatula on to the salad and spoon the sweetcorn on to the plate. Add the potatoes immediately before service.

Note that the nicely crisped skin should easily peel away from the cod flesh.

Crispy skin peels easily from cod fillets