Garlic Butter Cod with Lemon Asparagus Skillet

1 medium cod fillet, cut in 3 or 4 chunks (or halibut fillet)

2 bunches of asparagus, rinsed and trimmed

1 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup (125ml) low-sodium vegetable broth (or white wine)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1 T. hot sauce, optional (we used Sriracha)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. minced parsley (or cilantro)

Crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional

Slices of lemon, for garnish

 

To make the garlic butter cod with lemon asparagus skillet: Season codfish with salt and pepper. Let sit while you prepare the asparagus. Wash and trim the ends of the asparagus, then blanch them in boiling water for 2- 3 minutes then soak in ice water to stop cooking. This way they will cook faster and evenly in the skillet. You can skip this step if you have very thin asparagus. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Gently cook fish on both sides until golden brown. Remove the cod fillets from the skillet and set aside to a plate. In the same skillet over medium heat, add minced garlic then deglaze with vegetable broth (or wine). Bring it to a simmer. Add butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, and parsley. Give a quick stir to combine the lemon garlic butter sauce. Add the drained blanched asparagus and toss for 2 minutes to cook it up. Add codfish fillets back to the pan and reheat for another minute. Garnish with more parsley, crushed chili pepper, and lemon slices and serve the garlic butter cod and lemon asparagus immediately. Enjoy! Notes: Depending on the thickness of your asparagus, you might want to skip blanching. You can enrich the sauce by adding white wine. Tasty with mashed potatoes.