I am not a huge fan of fish, although I really love shrimp, scallops, and lobster. But I do enjoy a nice fish filet such as salmon, cod, trout, tilapia, and catfish. Some fish have too fishy a taste for me while others have an off-putting texture. Even though I enjoy them on occasion, I don’t cook them very often. So, I have resolved to prepare fish more frequently. Frequent is a nicely undefined term, so we’ll see how that works out.

With this in mind, I found a recipe for cod with butter and tomatoes and changed it slightly to what I had available in my pantry. I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning, but you can use any Chipotle seasoning mix you like. Cod is mild flavored, so the addition of the seasonings and sauce ingredients adds more dimension to the dish. It was not too spicy and very flavorful. Timmy, my male cat who turned 16 this month, enjoyed the few bites he got and was disappointed I wanted to eat my own dinner.

Cod in Spicy Butter & Tomato Sauce

2 Cod Filets 4 to 5 oz. each
2 tablespoons Butter, salted
1/4 teaspoon Better than Bullion Chicken
2 tablespoons Boiling Water
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
10 Cherry Tomatoes
2 teaspoons  Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

Using the Southwest Chipotle seasoning, generously sprinkle on all sides of the cod filets and pat it into the fish.

Warm a skillet over medium heat. Mix the bullion with 2 tablespoons of boiling water (or use chicken broth). Add the broth, wine vinegar, and cherry tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes split open and release the juices. If they don’t split, poke them with a sharp knife to start the process.

Add the butter and stir until the butter melts. When is melted, add the cod filets. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, looking for the fish to turn white half-way up before flipping them over. (This may vary, depending on the thickness of the filets.) Be careful to not overcook the fish.

Remove the cod to a serving plate and spoon the tomatoes and sauce over each filet. Sprinkle with parsley and add a slice of lemon if you wish.

Makes two servings.