Seared Cod with Chorizo and Chickpea Spinach Pan Sauce
Cod fillets seared until golden, then finished in a smoky chorizo, chickpea and spinach pan sauce built on the browned bits. A fast, high-protein one-pan dinner.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 6 · Cook 12
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Rendering fat
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- One pan
Instructions
-
Pat the cod dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and black pepper. Dice the chorizo into 1 cm pieces. Drain the chickpeas and pat them dry.
~4 min
Drying the cod ensures a golden sear rather than steaming, and salting early seasons the flesh and helps it stay moist.
Pat the chickpeas dry before they hit the pan: surface moisture steams them and stops them from picking up the chorizo's smoky oil.
-
Heat the olive oil in the non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in the cod and sear undisturbed until the underside is golden, about 3 minutes. Flip with the fish spatula and sear 1 minute more, then transfer the cod to a plate.
~4 min
Searing creates Maillard browning for flavor, and the brief second side avoids overcooking before the fish finishes in the sauce.
Searing Get the pan hot and lay the fish in without moving it; wait for a golden crust to release naturally. Moving too early tears the fish and loses the crust.
-
Add the chorizo to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until it releases its red oil and crisps at the edges, about 2 minutes.
~2 min
Cooking the chorizo renders its fat and crisps it, releasing smoky paprika oil that becomes the base of the pan sauce.
Rendering fat Cook chorizo over medium heat until the red oil pools and edges crisp. Too-high heat burns the paprika before the fat renders.
-
Stir the paprika into the chorizo and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chickpeas and 60 ml water, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.
~2 min
Blooming paprika in hot fat unlocks its flavor, and the water deglazes the browned bits to build a glossy sauce.
-
Add the spinach in handfuls, cover the skillet and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Return the cod and any resting juices to the pan, spoon the sauce over, and cook just until the cod is opaque and reaches 63°C/145°F in the centre, about 1 minute.
~3 min
Covering traps steam to wilt the spinach quickly, and returning the cod gently finishes it without overcooking.
-
Taste the chickpeas and sauce and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve the cod straight from the skillet with the chorizo, chickpeas and spinach spooned over.
~2 min