Jackie For when you want to be a little fancy, but make it easy fancy. This dish requires more prep time but cooks up really quickly and looks very pretty.
The Pesto
Make this quick and easy Whole30 pesto first in your prep. The only substitution I made to make this Whole30 was nutritional yeast in replacement of the typical romano or parmesan cheese. If you haven’t purchased nutritional yeast yet give it a shot. You can add it to a lot of dishes to give that “cheesy” flavor. I use Bragg’s but there are other compliant brands out there, just read your labels. So everything else is typical pesto, basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil. If you’ve never made pesto I promise it’s super easy so give it a shot!
The Carrot Ribbons
These are a fantastic fettucini replacement, honestly they don’t even taste like carrots. So easy to make but do take some time to prep. For this dish, for 2, I used 12 full size carrots. You peel them per usual, and then once peeled lay them flat on your cutting board and continue peeling, turning the carrot every so often. You’ll get a big pile of ribbons out of those 12 carrots. Then sauteed with some olive oil, garlic and salt. Like really only 3-5 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them. They are just so tasty! I can’t wait for you to try these!
The Cod
We get most of our meat from Butcher Box, so I used cod filets that we received in our last box. They’re fantastic and not fishy at all! If you haven’t checked them out I highly recommend it. You can use my link for $30 off your first box. Anyways, back to cooking! I used my lodge cast iron, got it nice and hot. Added 2 tbsp of ghee and cooked these about 6 minutes per side. The time will depend on the thickness of your filets. Your clue when they’re ready is that they will easily release from the pan. So don’t rush it.
Plate it
First pile high those carrots, top with your cod and a big scoop of pesto! This is a lighter meal, but super tasty and a little bit fancy!
I hope you enjoy it! Leave me a comment and let me know how you made it yours!
Pan Seared Cod with Pesto & Carrot Ribbons
Ingredients
- Place all pesto ingredients except EVOO, in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped
- Slowly pour in the EVOO while continuing to mix the pesto you may not need all of it or you may need a tad more. Blend until smooth, place aside.
- Prep your carrots peel them and then place them flat on your cutting board and peel the length of the carrot making ribbons, turning every so often.
- Leave carrots aside and heat a skillet over med/high heat for the cod
- Pat dry the cod and season with salt and pepper
- When the skillet is nice and hot add ghee when melted add the cod and cook about 5-6 min per side depending on thickness of the fish. It’ll release easily when ready to flip.
- After flipping the fish heat another skillet over med heat for the carrots
- Add olive oil and garlic sautéing for 30 seconds before tossing in the carrots
- Continue tossing the carrots I find this easiest with tongs, and cooking until just tender
- When fish is done plate it up! Carrots, cod, pesto. Enjoy!
