America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Pan-Roasted Cod with Amarillo Sauce

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on July 20, 2021

Yield

Serves 4

Pan-Roasted Cod with Amarillo Sauce

Ingredients

3 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (6 tablespoons)2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided1 onion, chopped4 garlic cloves, peeled½ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice 3 tablespoons masa harina 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice 8 ounces tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried, and cut into ½-inch pieces6 sprigs cilantro 1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided½ teaspoon pepper, divided4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 inch thick½ teaspoon sugar

Before You Begin

Black sea bass, haddock, hake, and pollack are good substitutes for the cod. Because most fish fillets differ in thickness, some pieces may finish cooking before others—be sure to immediately remove any fillet that reaches 135 degrees. You will need a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet for this recipe. Serve with corn tortillas, if desired.

Instructions

  1.  Toast guajillos in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes; transfer to bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin seeds, cloves, and allspice and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in masa harina and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in clam juice, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.
  2.  Stir in guajillos, tomatillos, cilantro sprigs, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to simmer and cook until tomatillos begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Carefully transfer mixture to blender and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return to clean pot and cover to keep warm.

  3.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat cod dry with paper towels, sprinkle with remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, then sprinkle sugar lightly over 1 side of each fillet.
  4.  Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Lay fillets sugared side down in skillet and press lightly to ensure even contact with skillet. Cook until browned, 1 to 1½ minutes.
  5.  Turn fillets over using 2 spatulas and transfer skillet to oven. Roast cod until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 135 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve with sauce.
Pan-Roasted Cod with Amarillo Sauce
Photography by Keller + Keller. Styling by Isabelle English.

Pan-Roasted Cod with Amarillo Sauce

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
5(3)
5Comments
Save
Saved

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons masa harina
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
8 ounces tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried, and cut into ½-inch pieces
6 sprigs cilantro
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 inch thick
½ teaspoon sugar

Ingredients

3 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons masa harina
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
8 ounces tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried, and cut into ½-inch pieces
6 sprigs cilantro
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 inch thick
½ teaspoon sugar

Ingredients

3 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons masa harina
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
8 ounces tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried, and cut into ½-inch pieces
6 sprigs cilantro
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 inch thick
½ teaspoon sugar

Why This Recipe Works

We often associate tomatillos with bright green sauces. Here, however, we combined the tangy, almost citrusy tasting fruit with dried chiles and masa harina to make a rust-orange amarillo sauce—a lively mole-style sauce from Oaxaca—and used it to dress up mild white fish. Although typically aji amarillo chiles are used, most modern recipes use guajillos, which gave the mole a pleasant, mild heat. We complemented that chile flavor with some warm spices. Our aromatic base benefited from the addition of clam juice, which provided a subtle seafood backbone. We cooked the tomatillos only briefly to preserve their bright, tart flavor, before pureeing the sauce in the blender. We cooked the cod fillets simply, sprinkling them with just a bit of sugar to accelerate browning. This shortened the cooking time and ensured that the fish didn't dry out.

Before You Begin

Black sea bass, haddock, hake, and pollack are good substitutes for the cod. Because most fish fillets differ in thickness, some pieces may finish cooking before others—be sure to immediately remove any fillet that reaches 135 degrees. You will need a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet for this recipe. Serve with corn tortillas, if desired.

Instructions

  1.  Toast guajillos in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes; transfer to bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin seeds, cloves, and allspice and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in masa harina and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in clam juice, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.
  2.  Stir in guajillos, tomatillos, cilantro sprigs, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to simmer and cook until tomatillos begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Carefully transfer mixture to blender and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return to clean pot and cover to keep warm.

  3.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat cod dry with paper towels, sprinkle with remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, then sprinkle sugar lightly over 1 side of each fillet.
  4.  Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Lay fillets sugared side down in skillet and press lightly to ensure even contact with skillet. Cook until browned, 1 to 1½ minutes.
  5.  Turn fillets over using 2 spatulas and transfer skillet to oven. Roast cod until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 135 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve with sauce.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

Keep Exploring

Fish & SeafoodSaucesMain Courses
This is a members' feature.