Pan-Seared Cod with Butternut Squash and Mushroom Lemon-Caper Sauce Recipe

Pan-Seared Cod with Butternut Squash & Sage and Mushroom Lemon-Caper Sauce

Serves: 2
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Base:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and thoroughly washed

• 6–8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

• Burlap & Barrel Chef’s Best Friend seasoning

• Burlap & Barrel Diavolo seasoning

• Olive oil (preferably Umbrian Gold)

• Salt, to taste

For the Fish:

• 2 (6–8 oz) pieces of local cod

• Olive oil

• Chef’s Best Friend seasoning or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce:

• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (cremini or a mix of wild)

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

• 1 lemon, supremed (cut into segments, no pith or seeds)

• 1 tablespoon butter

Method

1. Cook the Base:
   Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the diced butternut squash and season generously with Chef’s Best Friend and Diavolo. Sauté until golden and just tender, about 10–12 minutes.
   Add the leeks and sliced sage with another drizzle of olive oil. Continue cooking until the leeks soften and the sage becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Sear the Cod:
   Pat the cod dry and season with Chef’s Best Friend (or salt and pepper). Heat a clean sauté pan with olive oil over medium-high heat.
   Add the cod and sear until golden on both sides, about 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to a 400°F oven to finish cooking for another 5–7 minutes, depending on thickness.

3. Make the Sauce:
   In the same pan used for the fish (or a clean one), add a little butter and sauté the mushrooms until lightly browned. Deglaze with white wine and let it reduce by half. Stir in the capers and lemon supremes, finishing with a touch more butter for shine.

4. Plate:
   Spoon the butternut squash, leek, and sage mixture onto each plate. Top with the seared cod and spoon the lemon-caper mushroom sauce over the top.

A note about Pans: I often get asked which pans I use and how they can go from stovetop to oven. Do they work well on induction cooktops? The answer is YES to all of these questions. My personal favorite pans for all my dishes are by Hexclad. You can find them here.

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