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This decadent lingcod recipe features pan-seared fish cooked in butter and oil, and topped with an easy lemon caper pan sauce.
We've been eating lots of wild Alaska seafood this summer.
It's been wonderful.
Our community supported fishery deliveries from Sitka Seafood Market have included sablefish, cod, halibut, and the prized Alaska lingcod.
We've happily enjoyed teriyaki sablefish, sweet chili sablefish, broiled cod, broiled halibut, and halibut tacos.
When the lingcod arrived, I started researching all things lingcod. Then I moved onto the delicious part, testing lingcod recipes like Panko lingcod and baked lingcod.
What Is Lingcod?
Despite the name, lingcod is not a type of ling fish and it is not a type of cod.
Alaska lingcod is a type of greenling, a bottom dwelling fish.
Lingcod is dense and mild, and while it doesn't taste just like halibut, the two fish are very similar. If you've got a halibut recipe that you love, you can swap the halibut for lingcod.
And guys, that's exactly what I did.
This pan-seared lingcod is based on two of my favorite fish recipes: Julia Child's fish meunière (fish in butter sauce) and this pan-seared halibut with lemon caper sauce.
What If I Can't Find Lingcod for This Recipe?
Lingcod is (admittedly) not always easy to find!
If you can't find lingcod, halibut is the best swap in this recipe.
That said, this recipe uses a basic pan-searing technique that would be delicious with lots of different types of fish.
When swapping lingcod for other fish, keep in mind that the cook time will change depending on the thickness of your fish. Also, delicate fish will be more difficult to pan-sear than sturdy, dense fish (like lingcod and halibut).
How to Make Pan-Seared Lingcod
Start by patting your (thawed, room-temperature) lingcod dry.
Dust the fish with flour. If you're gluten-free, it's fine to use an all-purpose gluten-free flour such as Cup 4 Cup.
Next, add oil and butter to a heavy pan. I use this Lodge 12" carbon steel skillet.
Wait for the butter to melt, and then add the lingcod to the pan.
Cook the fillets for about 4 minutes, or until a thin metal spatula will easily slide under each fillet.
If the fish sticks to the pan and doesn't want to release, wait 30 seconds and try again.
Flip the fish, and top each fillet with a knob of butter.
Cook another 3-4 minutes, and then remove the fish from the pan.
Add a little lemon juice and some capers, and stir, stir, stir.
Add a few herbs, stir again, and turn off the heat.
Serve the lingcod right away, along with the pan-sauce and your favorite side dishes. I like to serve mine with Instant Pot jasmine rice, garlic cauliflower mash, and honey balsamic brussels sprouts.
Lingcod Recipe: Pan-Seared Fish with Lemon Caper Sauce
This decadent lingcod recipe features pan-seared fish cooked in butter and oil, and topped with an easy lemon caper pan sauce.
Author: Sarah Trenalone
Prep Time2 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time12 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 289kcal
Freezer Friendly?
No
Will It Keep?
No
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lingcod (~2 fillets)
- 1 tablespoon flour Use gluten-free AP flour if needed
- pinch salt, pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- small handful fresh herbs (such as fresh rosemary, chives, or oregano)
Instructions
Pat lingcod fillets dry. Dust with flour, and shake off any excess. Sprinkle them on both sides with salt and pepper.
Prepare a heavy pan with the olive oil and 1 TB butter. Heat on medium-high until butter is melted but not browned, then turn the heat down to medium.
Place the fillets in the pan and cook about 4 minutes. Don't touch the fillets until they're ready to flip.
Use a thin metal spatula to test the fish. If you can slide the spatula under the fish without the fish sticking to the pan, it's ready to flip. If the fillets won't release, give them another 30 seconds. They'll release when they've finished cooking.
After flipping, divide the remaining 1 TB butter over both fillets.
Cook fish another 3-4 minutes until done. Fish will be golden on both the top and bottom and opaque all the way through when finished cooking.
See AlsoBoozy Hot Chocolate Recipes make it even better.Smoked Trout Dip Recipe - How to Make Trout Dip Appetizers | Hank ShawThe Best Recipe Ever For Your Northern Ontario PikeTop 10 Camping Foods and RecipesTransfer the fish to plates, leaving the excess butter in the pan. Cover fish to keep warm, or set fish in a 200ºF oven.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the lemon juice and capers, and stir with a wooden spoon. Add half the herbs and stir again.
Serve fish hot with pan sauce and remaining herbs.
Nutrition
Calories: 289kcal (14%) | Carbohydrates: 8g (3%) | Protein: 21g (42%) | Fat: 20g (31%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (50%) | Cholesterol: 89mg (30%) | Sodium: 287mg (12%) | Potassium: 570mg (16%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 350IU (7%) | Vitamin C: 29mg (35%) | Calcium: 30mg (3%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
More Seafood
- Pan-Seared Striped Bass
- Pan-Seared Walleye
- Lobster Butter Sauce
- Pan-Seared Catfish
About Sarah Trenalone
Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.
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Richard Bury
I fish Alaska a lot. My two favorites are sablefish and lingcod; both are delicious!
Reply
Sarah Trenalone
That's so cool!! And I totally agree, both sablefish and lingcod are AMAAAAZING!
Reply
Judi
Just made this tonight....sooo good, easy and fast, top of the stove for these hot days...thank you so much!!!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting us know!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Sara
Bought fresh ling cod at the fish market, caught that morning, and found this recipe. Never made ling cod before and I swear, I could eat this every day. It was delicious! Thank you! Will be making it again (and again.)Reply
Sara
Meant to add that I didn't use flour and it is also perfect without. Flour isn't necessary for this scrumptuous dish!
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Sarah Trenalone
Yay! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
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Lynne
Excellent!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Thanks!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
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Megan
This is a good one! Very flavourful.Reply
Alisha Trenalone
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
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JR
This was very yummy. I added shallots and only had green onions and basil, but it was great!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Thanks so much for letting us know, we're glad you enjoyed!!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Joanne Benser
I made this using fresh caught blue ling cod and rockfish. It was very good with both! The only thing I would add was another lemon.Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Glad you enjoyed it so much! Thanks a bunch for letting us know 🙂
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Heather Poole
Absolutely delish! Simple and full of taste, served with a Mexican verde rice and sauteed yellow peppers, accompanied with an Italian pecorino wine. Fab!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Fantastic, thanks for letting us know!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Tammy
It was so simple yet delicious. The change I made, which I think was critical, was cooking the sauce in a separate pan vs. the one the fish was cooked in. I think my fish turned out perfectly cooked, but there were some burned bits in the pan that would have transferred to the sauce. I also missed adding the fresh herbs, but it didn't matter. I did add a little garlic powder. Served w/ cauliflower mashed potatoes and my husband loved it!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Glad you enjoyed!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
A.E.R.
A neighbor gave me 3 lingcod fillets from his successful day of fishing. The Googler led me to this recipe. This dish is light yet packed with flavor. Be sure to use a good, grass fed and high fat content butter. 🙂Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting us know!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Jim Brookes
Easy to make and tastes great. This recipe is a keeper.Reply
Alisha Trenalone
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for letting us know, Jim!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Kathy
This was so easy and fast and delicious!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Kelly
Made this last night with some ling cod we caught in Alaska last month and we loved it! Great flavor without taking away the flavor of the fish.Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Wow, congrats on getting that lingcod! And thanks for letting us know you enjoyed the recipe 😄
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
James
This was super easy and so delicious! My neighbor caught a beautiful lingcod along the Sonoma County coast yesterday and gave me large fillet. After cooking per the recipe, I added fresh picked sun gold cherry tomatoes from my garden into the sauce, cut in half and sauteed briefly in the pan prior to pouring over the fish. So good!Reply
Alisha Trenalone
That sounds amazing! Congrats on such a wonderful meal (and a kind neighbor!) 😊
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Kitty
Lemon (anything acidic) harms the seasoning of carbon steel and cast iron pans. Use stainless steel. Otherwise a great recipe.Reply
Rick
fast, easy and very very tasty.Reply
Alisha Trenalone
Thanks for the kind words!
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
Reply
Aimée Searle
So glad I found this recipe again.
it is the best way I have found to prepare Ling Cod.
I till have lots of fillets to finish this winter before my man goes fishing in Northern BC again next Spring/Summer.Reply
Alisha Trenalone
An abundance of fish, nice! Glad you enjoy the recipe.
-Alisha at Champagne Tastes
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