Pan-Seared Tarragon Whitefish

Pan-Seared Tarragon Whitefish is one of my “go to” methods for cooking any white fish, simple, quick, and yet delicious. This recipe can be quickly thrown together mid-week with very little effort. Use any substantial whitefish like cod, grouper and halibut. Snapper, sole, skate, perch, bass, tilapia and even hake would work too. You will have to adjust your cooking time if you are using a thinner fillet. I absolutely love the combination of fresh tarragon with white fish (it’s good with chicken too). Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the fish right before serving and it’s perfect!

Featured Ingredients

Although whitefish may not get as much attention as fatty, omega-3-rich fish species, including it in your diet offers plenty of health benefits, including lower risk of stroke and metabolic syndrome, plus lower waist circumference, triglyceride levels, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and blood pressure, in addition to higher HDL (good) cholesterol.  All that and whitefish is also a great source of highly-digestible gut-friendly complete protein!

Herbs and spices do so much more than flavor our food! As concentrated sources of beneficial phytonutrients, they provide diverse health benefits such as reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer.

Lemons are the most nutrient-dense citrus fruit. They are particularly rich in vitamin C, providing more vitamin C than oranges per serving! Vitamin C has powerful antioxidant properties, along with serving as an enzyme cofactor, and playing important roles in immune system and mental health.

Halibut Nutrients

Herbs & Spices

Lemon Nutrients

Pan-Seared Tarragon Whitefish

Nutrivore Score: 303

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 301kcal

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Ingredients

• 1 pound cod fillets (or substitute your favorite whitefish)
• 4 teaspoons tarragon dried (or 1/4 cup fresh)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 wedge lemon

Instructions

• Heat oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium to medium-high heat (note that non-stick pans should never be heated over high heat; follow the directions for your pan for the highest recommended temperature setting).
• Coat both sides of your fillets with chopped tarragon (it should stick fairly easily, if not rinse your fish and pat dry with paper towel and try again).
• Place fish in pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side, until the edges are turning opaque and you can see some browning when you peak underneath).
• Flip and cook for 4-5 minutes on the second side, until fish is opaque throughout and segments flake apart. (Tip: I find that a large pancake flipper can make flipping and serving more delicate white fish like tilapia much easier).

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Pan-Seared Tarragon Whitefish

Amount per Serving

Calories

301

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

13

g

20

%

Saturated Fat

 

8

g

50

%

Trans Fat

 

0.5

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

128

mg

43

%

Sodium

 

215

mg

9

%

Potassium

 

1073

mg

31

%

Carbohydrates

 

3

g

1

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

0.2

g

0

%

Protein

 

42

g

84

%

Vitamin A

 

611

IU

12

%

Vitamin C

 

9

mg

11

%

Calcium

 

88

mg

9

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.