Potato-Crusted Cod with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce

After going off on a tangent about capers the other day, I think it's appropriate to share a recipe using capers.  To be honest, the only way I have ever used them is in chicken piccata or in some sort of a sauce with fish, so if you know of another good way to use them, feel free to share.  

In this recipe for potato-crusted cod, I used potato flakes.  I can't even think of another reason to have potato flakes around (no, not even for making mashed potatoes), so if you would like to take that mindset even further, go ahead and crust your fish with panko, but this recipe is for POTATO crusted cod, and let me tell you that there is a reason we like fish and chips(crispy potatoes!).  Think of this as a refined take on a classic.

Potato-Crusted Cod with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce for 4

Fish Ingredients:

3 or 4 boneless cod fillets, cut in half if large (to the size of a deck of cards)This minimizes the chances of the fish falling apart when you flip it, which is important because you want to keep that gorgeous crust on the fish.
Approx. 1 cup potato flakes
1 egg for dredging
dried parsley
onion powder
salt
pepper
olive oil

Sauce Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons butter, cold, cut into 6 pieces
2 shallots, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup dry white wine(plus more to drink!)
1 cup veggie stock  
lemon juice
capers
parsley
pepper 


1. Set up your fish dredging station.  Crack egg into bowl and break yolk with fork, stirring a bit.  In another bowl, combine the potato flakes and seasonings.

 
2. Now, start the sauce.  I wasn't able to get it to thicken, but it still ended up tasting delicious.  If you feel like adding a thickening agent, go for it.
In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Then, add the shallots and cook about 4 minutes until softened.

3. Add the cream, wine, and stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil.

4. Simmer until the mixture is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups(This will take 20-30 minutes).

5. In the meantime, let's get to the fish.  Begin by dipping the fish (one piece at a time) into the egg.  After the piece of fish is coated with egg on each side, coat it entirely with the potato flake mixture.  

6.  When you've coated all of the fish, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  The oil should be hot enough that it sizzles when you put the fish in the pan.  Put the pieces of fish in the pan, but don't crowd them.  This may take 2 batches.

7. Cook the fish on each side until golden brown and crispy.  By the time this happens, the fish should be cooked on the inside.  At this point, if you were to cut it in half, it would be white and flake beautifully.

8. Remove each piece from the pan as it gets done cooking, and transfer to a platter.  You can keep this warm in the oven at a low temperature while you are finishing up the sauce and whatever else you want to serve the fish with. I don't know about you, but this is great because I have a lot of trouble getting all of the elements of a meal done at the same time.

9. To finish up the sauce, remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir well between each addition.

10. Add the parsley, pepper, a couple good squeezes of half a lemon, and some capers. 

I served the cod and sauce on a bed of angel hair (tossed in olive oil so the noodles didn't stick together) with a side of green beans and a dinner roll and it was divine.