Lemon Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf Recipe

Have you ever made an Armenian-style pilaf? This style of pilaf adds toasted spaghetti or other noodles to the rice. This recipe for a Browned Butter Hazelnut Pilaf is really stellar. The cod recipe that goes along with it is also tasty, but the real star is the pilaf. The recipe, from the latest Cooking Light, is a quick meal, so it’s great for something a little different for a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
4 (6-ounce) cod fillets
the juice of one lemon
4 lemon wedges (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While waiting for the oven to preheat, add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat, swirling until the butter melts. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir occasionally.

Add the chicken stock, rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

While waiting for the rice mixture to cook, lightly toast your hazelnuts over medium low heat in a small saute pan.

Fluff the mixture with a fork and top with hazelnuts.

Heat a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, swirling to coat. Season the fish with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the cod and cook for 1 minute.

Flip the cod and add the pan to the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove the fish from the pan and keep warm.

Wipe out the pan with paper towels and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and swirl until the butter melts. Cook for 1 minute or until the butter begins to brown. Stir in the lemon juice.

Add the cod and pilaf to 4 plates. Drizzle the butter mixture over the fish. Serve with lemon wedges.

White fish like cod goes really well with lemon and butter. The flavor is so delicate that you don’t need much to make it taste great! The pilaf was an awesome side dish to go along with the fish. The crunch of the hazelnuts was a nice addition to the pilaf too!