Pan-seared Cod with Herb Butter Sauce

I'm on a mission to make sure Dr. Sweetpea eats fish more often. He is a huge fan of Halibut, Cod, Salmon, and Catfish, which thankfully are pretty affordable at Costco. We recently had dinner at Pappadeux, a popular seafood restaurant in Houston and Dr. Sweetpea loved the Tilapia with the Lemon Caper sauce. Since I knew his favorite part of the meal was the caper sauce, I immediately started looking for a good lemon sauce to make at home. I came across this recipe from America's Test Kitchen, and changed it a tad by adding some capers in the sauce. Dr. Sweetpea took one bite of the fish with the sauce and he said it was the best lemon sauce that he has had. This recipe is super easy to make during the week and very tasty. I served the fish with a side of couscous.

Pan-seared Cod with Herb Butter Sauce

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

1/2 cup all-­purpose flour

4 boneless, skinless thick fish fillets (see note)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

2 teaspoons of capers, drained (my addition)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Place flour in shallow dish. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Coat fish lightly with flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Cook fillets until golden and thickest part of fillets flake easily, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil. Wipe out skillet.

Add remaining oil and shallot to empty pan and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, and thyme and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and parsley. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over cod. Serve.

Couscous with Shallots, Garlic, and Almond

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups couscous

1 cup water

1 cup low­-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I omitted)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Ground black pepper

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium­high heat. When foaming subsides, add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, and salt; stir briefly to combine, cover, and remove pan from heat. Let stand until grains are tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff grains with fork. Stir in almonds, parsley, lemon juice, and zest, season with pepper to taste, and serve.