
Fish and Seafood
Grilled Cod with Smoked Brown Butter Vinaigrette
Brown butter takes grilled cod to new heights in this quick yet elegant entree.

Prep
15 minutes
Cook
1 hour
Servings
4
Level
Medium
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot, very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces (1 stick) Smoked Butter (see tip)
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
- 2 teaspoons minced tarragon leaves
- 1 ½ pounds fresh cod filet, cut from the larger end (about 1 inch thick), very cold
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 cups mixed baby greens
Directions
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1In a large metal bowl, combine the shallot, mustard, salt, and plenty of pepper. In a small saucepan, heat the smoked butter over medium heat, swirling the pan until the foam subsides and it starts to turn a nutty caramel brown. Before it can turn black, quickly whisk in the lime juice (it will sizzle madly). Whisk the hot butter mixture into the shallot/mustard mixture, then whisk in the tarragon. Set aside for up to 1 hour. If it sits any longer the butter may solidify. If it does, just warm very gently in a low oven before serving, until the mixture becomes liquid again.
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2Build a charcoal fire and prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (400° to 500°). Working quickly, cut the cod filet into four equal pieces, and spread all sides generously with the mayonnaise. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
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3Brush the grilling grate clean. Grill the cod pieces over direct heat until opaque at the center, 6 to 8 minutes total, turning over once with a metal spatula. Toss the baby greens in the bowl with the browned butter vinaigrette and mound the juicy salad over the grilled fish.
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!To smoke butter, freeze 4 ounces of Salted Challenge Dairy European Style butter. Place unwrapped butter in a shallow metal roasting pan or mini-loaf pan and smoke at 225°F for 50 minutes. The butter will melt. You can re-chill or refreeze the butter if you don’t plan to use it right away.