Garlic Butter Cod with Green Beans & New Potatoes

Ingredients

• Fish
• 4 cod fillets (skinless) +
  Healthier choice

  Choose MSC-certified sustainable cod where available. Fresh is ideal but frozen-at-sea is often fresher than "fresh" counter fish, as it's frozen within hours of being caught.

  Best pick: Line-caught or MSC-certified. Icelandic and Norwegian cod tend to be well-managed stocks.

  ✕ Avoid: battered or breaded fish (seed oils, additives), pre-seasoned fillets (often contain dextrose and flavourings).
• 30g butter +
  Healthier choice

  Choose grass-fed butter where available. Grass-fed butter has significantly higher levels of omega-3s, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2 compared to grain-fed.

  Best pick: Kerrygold, Président, or any butter from grass-fed cows. In the UK, most standard butter is already largely grass-fed due to pasture farming.

  ✕ Avoid: spreadable butter (contains rapeseed/seed oil), margarine, "butter alternatives".
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• Salt and black pepper, to taste +
  Healthier choice

  Salt: Plain table salt is often the cleanest option. Himalayan salt contains heavy metals; sea salt contains microplastics. The trace minerals in "premium" salts are nutritionally meaningless. UK: most table salt is pure with no anti-caking agents. US: look for brands without sodium aluminosilicate.

  Pepper: Use whole peppercorns in a grinder. Pre-ground loses piperine rapidly. Tellicherry peppercorns have higher piperine and better flavour.

  Best pick: Additive-free table salt + whole Tellicherry peppercorns in a grinder.
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Vegetables
• 300g green beans, trimmed
• Carbs
• 400g new potatoes

Method

1. Boil the new potatoes in salted water for 15–18 minutes until tender. Add the green beans to the same pot for the last 4 minutes.

2. While the potatoes cook, pat the cod fillets dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper.

   💡 Dry fish = better sear. Moisture is the enemy of a golden crust.
3. Melt a generous knob of butter in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once foaming, add the cod fillets. Cook for 3–4 minutes without moving until golden underneath.

4. Flip the fish, add the sliced garlic to the pan, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. The garlic will toast in the butter. Add the lemon juice and zest in the last 30 seconds.

5. Drain the potatoes and beans. Plate up with the cod on top, spoon the garlic butter from the pan over everything, and finish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition  per serving