Seared Cod with Peas, Pancetta, and Wilted Lettuce Recipe

Updated May 15, 2019

Petits Pois à la Française is a classic, if unusual, dish. It features ham or bacon and peas—sometimes cooked with onions, stock, or cream. But it's always accentuated with that one ingredient that makes it "à la française": lettuce. It may sound crazy, but it is so good. Adding sweet sucrine lettuce at the last second means the leaves add a nice crunchy texture to the meaty, creamy, but also light and bursting, sweet peas. I hearten it up by topping it with a fillet of crisply seared cod. Heaven!

French in a Flash: Crispy Seared Cod and Petits Pois à la Française

Recipe Details

Seared Cod with Peas, Pancetta, and Wilted Lettuce Recipe

Active 15 mins

Total 15 mins

Serves 4 servings

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cod or hake fillets (about 6 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces diced pancetta
4 cups thawed frozen peas
1 head baby gem or romaine lettuce, finely sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
4 tablespoons crème fraîche

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Season the cod with salt and pepper and place presentation-side-down in the hot skillet. Cook without moving until the fish takes on a nice golden crust and lifts easily from the spatula, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip fish with a thin metal spatula and cook on second side until cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Remove skillet from heat and transfer cod to a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the pancetta to the same skillet, and return to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until pancetta starts to become crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peas and warm through, stirring often. Add 2 tablespoon of water, lettuce, parsley, and crème fraîche. Stir over the heat until the crème fraîche has melted and the lettuce is just beginning to wilt. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate, make a bed of the peas. Top with the cod. Garnish with more parsley.

This Recipe Appears In

French in a Flash: Crispy Seared Cod and Petits Pois à la Française

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
528	Calories
30g	Fat
24g	Carbs
41g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	528
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g	38%
Saturated Fat 11g	53%
Cholesterol 109mg	36%
Sodium 486mg	21%
Total Carbohydrate 24g	9%
Dietary Fiber 8g	28%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 22mg	108%
Calcium 78mg	6%
Iron 4mg	20%
Potassium 624mg	13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.