Grilled cod, mint pesto and celeriac purée
- Preparation 20 min
- Cooking 30 min
- Servings 4
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🐟 Cod like you’ve never had it
Forget bland, personality-free cod. Here we’re talking about a loin grilled in foaming butter, laid on silky celeriac purée and topped with a mint pesto that bursts with freshness. This is the kind of dish you serve at Easter to impress the whole family, on Mother’s Day to make it special, or on a Saturday night date when you want to pull out all the stops without spending the whole day in the kitchen.
🔥 The trio that changes everything: mint, celeriac and lemon
The mint and basil pesto brings a herbaceous and bright side that awakens the natural sweetness of the cod, while the celeriac purée adds earthy, velvety depth underneath. The lemon zest and grated parmesan as a finishing touch tie it all together with just enough acidity and umami so that each bite is complete. It’s a gourmet restaurant dish you can recreate at home, perfect for entertaining friends or for an evening that deserves minimal effort with maximum results.
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🐟 Pat the cod dry before cooking, it’s mandatory
Surface moisture is the number one enemy of a beautiful golden crust. Pat each fillet with paper towels on both sides just before seasoning and placing them in the pan. A dry fillet will sizzle immediately when it contacts the hot oil, creating that crispy surface texture while keeping the flesh pearly and tender inside.
🧈 Foaming butter basting, the technique that changes everything
Cod is only flipped once. Don’t touch for the first 3 minutes and baste generously with the foaming butter using a spoon to finish cooking. This technique allows you to cook the top of the fillet with the heat of the butter without flipping it, which keeps the flesh moist and pearly instead of drying it out. It’s the difference between a decent fillet and a restaurant-quality fillet.
🥔 Purée: butter BEFORE cream, always
The order of incorporation makes all the difference in a purée. The butter must be added first to the hot vegetables so the fat coats each starch particle. That’s what gives this silky, structured texture. If you add the cream first, the excess liquid makes the purée looser and less velvety. The purée can also be prepared in advance and reheated gently with a little cream when serving.
🌿 Pesto is made in a food processor, never in a blender
A food processor chops herbs while keeping texture, while a blender liquefies them and oxidizes the leaves more quickly. You want a pesto with grain, not a green smoothie. Pesto keeps for 3 days in the fridge covered with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent oxidation. Prepare it in advance if you want to reduce stress when serving.
🍋 Lemon zest is grated at the last moment
Zesting the lemon directly over the plate when serving is what releases the essential oils at their maximum. Zest made in advance quickly loses its aromatic punch and becomes dry. It’s a small 5-second gesture that completely transforms the dish’s finish and links the mint pesto with the cod and parmesan.
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Cod
- 4 cod loins, about 180 g (6 oz) each
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) unsalted butter
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) black pepper
Celeriac purée
- 2 medium celeriacs, peeled and cubed
- 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (60 ml) 35% cream
- Salt and white pepper
- Mint pesto
- 2 cups (500 ml) fresh mint, leaves only
- 1 cup (250 ml) fresh basil, leaves only
- ½ cup (125 ml) pine nuts
- 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil + 1 tbsp (15 ml) for the end
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For serving
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Fresh parmesan, freshly grated
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Preparation
- Cook the celeriacs and potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for about 20 minutes, until very tender. Drain and purée using a food processor or food mill. Incorporate the butter first and mix until completely melted and absorbed, then add the cream and smooth to a silky, structured texture. Season with salt and pepper, and keep warm.
- Prepare the pesto: put the mint, basil, pine nuts, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor. Chop until you get a fine texture. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and mix with a spoon. Set aside.
- Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the fillets and cook for 3 minutes without touching. Add the butter in one piece, let it foam and continuously baste the fillets with a spoon for 2 to 3 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- On each plate, place a beautiful quenelle of celeriac purée. Place the cod fillet on top, generously coat with mint pesto, grate fresh parmesan and finish with lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Halibut, striped bass and haddock are excellent substitutes. All white fish with firm flesh that hold up well to pan cooking. Salmon also works, but its more pronounced flavor will dominate the mint pesto. The important thing is to choose thick fillets of at least 2.5 cm to have time to create a beautiful crust without overcooking the inside.
Absolutely. The pesto keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, covered with a thin drizzle of olive oil to prevent oxidation. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray to always have some on hand. Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving so it returns to its texture.
The flesh should be opaque and flake easily with a fork. To the touch, the fillet should be firm but still slightly tender in the center. Overcooked cod becomes dry and fibrous. With a thermometer, aim for 60°C (140°F) in the center. Better to remove from heat 30 seconds too early than too late, residual heat will finish the cooking.
The purée freezes well for 2 to 3 months in an airtight container. To reheat, let it thaw in the fridge the night before, then reheat over low heat adding a little cream or butter to restore the silky texture. The cod and pesto, however, are always better prepared the same day.
The dish is already complete on its own with its integrated purée, but to add a touch of color and freshness, I suggest my green beans with white wine and lemon for crunch, my fennel, oranges and black olives salad for a Mediterranean side or even my sautéed peas and asparagus with crispy pancetta for a perfect spring pairing. You’re going to flip!
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