Cod with Green Beans and Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce is the answer to your mid-week “What’s for dinner?” blues. Elevate that bland fish and veggie dish by adding a light yet flavorful lemon butter sauce, complemented by fresh shallots and dill.
Craving fish? Then you have to check out the Spicy Coconut Lime Salmon or One Pot Cod Soup.
Some of my tastiest recipes stem from a little creativity and a whole lotta necessity! I value convenience and affordability so I needed to find a way to implement some expiring ingredients into my next meal.
This Cod with Green Beans and Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce recipe was created because the dill and shallots in my fridge were on the verge of going bad.
I ended up with a deliciously filling dinner that tasted just as good as what you’d order in a five-star restaurant but at a fraction of the price!
Why Cod?
While a variety of fish can be used in this recipe, cod is super versatile. The mild flavor of cod makes it great for a sauce-centered meal. Cod takes on the taste of whatever you season it with.
It’s quick and easy to prepare. I only seasoned the cod with salt and pepper, quickly pan-seared it then placed it in the oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
Green Bean Ice Bath
Want the perfect green beans every time? I use the blanching method to prepare my green beans. Once you’ve tried this technique on fresh green beans, you won’t grab the canned variety ever again.
What is blanching?
Blanching is the process of quickly immersing food in extremely hot water or oil then plunging it into ice water to halt the cooking process.
I boil the green beans for five minutes then immediately place them in ice water. The end result is crisp, tender, vibrant green beans.
Now I usually, toss my green beans in butter and season with salt & pepper, however, I didn’t this time around because the Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce is so flavorful.
Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce
The sauce brings this fish and vegetable dish to life! It is essentially a beurre blanc (white butter) sauce with dill, lemon and dijon mustard added for extra zest (and to clean out my fridge).
Beurre blanc is a French butter-based sauce with either vinegar or white wine and shallots. The key to a creamy consistency is to use cold butter, adding it to the sauce gradually.
Modifications to Cod with Green Beans and Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce
If you wish to make modifications to this recipe, I suggest keeping the sauce and swapping out the fish and vegetables as needed. For fish, I would choose a fish that cooks fairly quickly and takes on the flavor of your seasoning. For vegetables, any green, stemmed variety will do.
Fish: Tilapia, whiting or halibut
Vegetables: Steamed brocolli or asparagus
Additional Tips
For an exceptional meal, here are some helpful tips and tricks from start to finish:
- Let the cod reach room temperature before cooking. If you cook it straight out of the fridge, it may cook unevenly and be cold on the inside.
- I believe in layering flavors. Always taste after adding herb and spices to help with balancing the flavor profile with salt & pepper.
- So you’ve made too much sauce? The Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce can be refrigerated for a week or frozen up to one month.
Cod with Green Beans and Shallot Dill Lemon Butter Sauce
Course: Uncategorized2
servings5
minutes40
minutes710
kcalIngredients
2 pieces Cod
1 pk Green Beans
3-4 springs Fresh Dill(chopped)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup White Wine
6-8 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Shallots (sliced)
1 Lemons (squeezed)
1 cup Chicken Stock
8 tbsp Butter (cut in 1 tbsp. pieces at room temp, 2 tbsp. cold)
Salt & Pepper
Directions
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°.
- Add the green beans to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the favas to the ice water to cool. Drain all the beans and pat dry. Set aside.
- Pat the cod dry and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Using a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the shallots and minced garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add the chicken stock, white wine, lemon juice & Dijon mustard and cook until nearly evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Season the sauce lightly with salt & pepper and fresh dill. Reduce the heat to moderately low and whisk in 3 tablespoon cubes of cold butter, a few at a time, until a creamy sauce forms, about 6 mins and pour sauce into a measuring cup and place aside.
- Using the same pan, take a paper towel and wipe off any leftover ingredients.
- On medium high heat, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and cook cod fillets until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the Cod is almost opaque throughout, about 5 minutes.
- Using a medium-large plate, arrange green beans across the plate then transfer cooked cod on top and pour sauce.
- Garnish with dill and enjoy.
My family loved this! The cod was perfectly juicy and tender and the green beans added the perfect crunch to the meal.
I’m glad the family enjoyed.
I’ve always had cod salted, hardly ever do I eat it fresh or frozen, but this version with the green beans and that bright, punchy lemon butter sauce may make me a convert!
I happy to hear you enjoyed the combination,
Love this cod!!!! I ate this with some steamed rice for the lemon butter. So good!
Adding rice sounds like a great side.
I have a love affair with cod and this dish specifically – it did not disappoint!
I’m glad you enjoyed!
I loved this recipe! I absolutely love anything seafood related that has a lemon butter sauce and this recipe did not disappoint. The green beans were a perfect treat and added a great bit of crunch. Absolutely will make this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I loved this recipe, Dee! The flavors are so mellow individually, but once they are all combined they pack a great punch. Cod was the perfect choice of fish. I can’t wait to make this recipe again.
I’m glad to hear you loved the dish!
the shallot dill lemon butter sauce was delicious with the cod. Definitely making this again!
I’m glad you loved the combination of flavors.