Lemony Almond Crusted Cod with Homemade Mayo-Free Tartar Sauce

This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield and Woodstock Foods. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Cod is coated with ground almonds and pan fried till beautifully flaky & tender in this delicious seafood recipe. Serve with my easy, homemade mayo-free tartar sauce for a simple, gluten-free fish dinner!

It's hard for people who know me to believe that I grew up never (ever!) eating seafood. My mom didn't (and still doesn't) enjoy it, so it was just not something I was around very often.

Plus, I did grow up in a pretty land-locked area of the Midwest. Seafood just wasn't really on my mind.

Fast forward to me moving to New York and living with a seafood loving guy. Slowly but surely I tried several of different types of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans and came to realize that not only did I enjoy eating them - I was also pretty darn good at cooking them!

Recently, I've been really enjoying flaky white fish like cod. It cooks up quickly and can take on a variety of flavors, depending on your mood and what's in your kitchen.

I bought some beautiful Wild Alaskan Pacific Cod from Mike's Organic Delivery (one of my favorite local-ish resources). I knew it would be perfect for a weeknight seafood dinner like this.

For this particular recipe, I was inspired by the Organic Lemon Almonds from Woodstock Foods. I typically use panko or regular bread crumbs when coating fish to pan-fry, but I figured these almonds would make a flavorful, gluten-free option.

A few pulses in the food processor, and I had a gorgeous, nutty coating ready to go! And the lemony aroma was absolutely incredible!

And now, for the sauce.

I love a good tartar sauce, but it tends to feel awfully heavy with all that mayo. I decided to brighten it up a bit and used Stonyfield 100% Grassfed Plain Yogurt as my base instead.

A few ingredients get mixed in, and it's off to the fridge to chill while the fish is breaded and fried.

After patting the fillets dry and seasoning them with salt and pepper, I brushed them with a bit of the plain yogurt. It worked as a great "glue" for the ground almonds to adhere to the fish.

Have a paper towel-lined plate at the ready after you place the fish into the skillet to fry. This will ensure that any excess oil gets soaked up before serving these crispy, flaky fillets.

Just make sure to be gentle when you move them between the skillet and the plate. The cod is so tender and flaky that it could easily fall apart if you aren't careful.

This fish was a huge hit with my family!

My son was all about that tartar sauce. And he loved eating some extra almonds alongside. They're packed with so much real lemon flavor - they really do make a wonderful snack.

I served the fish with steamed jasmine rice, a bit of leftover salad that I made for lunch that day (using sunflower microgreens from my favorite local farm), and an acorn squash that I pressure cooked in my Instant Pot right before I made the tartar sauce.

The microgreens were really lovely with the fish - I'll have to pair those two together again soon!

What are your favorite side dishes for fish? I'd love to hear about them in the comments section below!

I've also been enjoying bowls of grassfed yogurt topped with the Hiker's Harvest Mix and a spoonful of Lightly Toasted Almond Butter for breakfast (and late-night snacking), too. Absolutely delicious!

📖 Recipe

Lemony Almond Crusted Cod with Homemade Mayo-Free Tartar Sauce

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• Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
• Prep Time: 10 minuntes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Cod is coated with ground almonds and pan fried till beautifully flaky & tender in this delicious seafood recipe. Serve with my easy homemade tartar sauce!

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Ingredients

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For the Tartar Sauce:

• ¾ cup plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield Grassfed)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons, plus 1 teaspoon brine
• 1 tablespoon drained non-pareil capers, roughly chopped
• 1 green onion, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

For the Cod:

• ¾ cup Lemon Almonds (I used Woodstock Foods)
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 4 cod fillets (about 1 ¼ pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Lemon wedges, for serving

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Instructions

1. For the Tartar Sauce: Mix all ingredients (yogurt through black pepper) in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. For the Cod:Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (but not so much that they turn into almond butter). Transfer to a large, shallow dish.
3. Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season one side of each fillet with salt and pepper. Brush with yogurt, then press into the ground almonds. Season the second side, brush with yogurt, and press into the almonds to coat.
4. Once the oil is hot, place fillets into the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Transfer cooked fillets to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil before serving.
5. Serve fish with tartar sauce and lemon wedges alongside.

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Notes

Feel free to include any of the mustard seeds that are floating around in the cornichon brine that you measure out for the tartar sauce. They make a great addition!

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 393
• Sugar: 3.9 g
• Sodium: 260.1 mg
• Fat: 23.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
• Fiber: 3.8 g
• Protein: 36.5 g
• Cholesterol: 73.3 mg

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