Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish

Lemon butter sauce with parsley is perfect for any white fish, especially cod fillets; I used skrei cod.

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What is Skrei?

It's a very special type of line-caught cod and is a much-loved Norwegian delicacy.

It's an extremely tasty, firm fish that is fantastic simply pan-fried in a little butter and oil. Ready in just a couple of minutes, and it doesn't break up during cooking.

Here's my simple recipe for pan-fried cod with a lemon butter and parsley sauce. The whole dish is ready in under 15 minutes from start to finish.

This sauce goes well with any white fish and with pan-fried scallops.

It's only available between January and April each year.

Skrei is migratory and journeys thousands of miles annually from the Barents Sea to the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway to reproduce.

Because of its journey through the dark, icy waters, Skrei has a lean, bright white firm flesh and is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, which makes it a hugely versatile, healthy and wholesome food.

Skrei is available in Harrods Food Hall, Booths stores, or you can ask your local fishmonger.

To be classified as SKREI the fish needs to be:

• Caught fully grown - as a large mature cod before it has spawned (approx. five years old)

• The skin needs to be immaculate, without scratches, bruising or injuries.

• Packaged within 12 hours of being caught.

• Stored on ice at a temperature between 0° and 4° Celsius.

• Whole, fresh skrei is required to have the SKREI® brand fastened to the forward dorsal fin and put in a branded box.

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Skrei cod, lemon butter sauce for fish, lemon butter sauce for scallops,

Fish, sauce

English

Yield: 2

Author: Jan Bennett

Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish

This sauce is good with any white fish, but it's especially good with pan-fried scallops.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min

Ingredients

• 1 shallot - peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons double (heavy) cream
• 120g unsalted butter - cut into cubes and kept cold in the fridge until needed
• zest from a whole lemon and the juice from half the lemon
• salt - just a pinch
• cayenne pepper - a pinch or two

Instructions

1. Put the shallots into a pan with the wine, white wine vinegar and water and reduce to a quarter of the original amount. This is important, or your sauce will taste vinegary.
2. Add the cream and bring to a boil for a minute.
3. Now, whisk in the butter cubes a few at a time, keep whisking whilst taking the sauce on and off the heat and adding a bit more butter.
4. The sauce should look smooth and shiny but with no sign of an oily film.
5. Now whisk in the lemon juice and zest and season to taste with a teeny bit of salt and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper.
6. Serve immediately over pan-fried cod or other white fish; it's especially good with pan-fried scallops.

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