Black Cod with Creamed Greens
Recipes
Black Cod with Creamed Greens
October 22nd, 2025
Vilda Gonzalez
This recipe comes together quickly, and makes delicious use out of any leafy greens you can get your hands on. Kale, nettles, collard greens, spinach, or even heartier broccoli raab all work great. Once the greens have had a moment to soften in the leek-scented cream, simply nestle filets of cod into the tangle of green and cover the pan with a lid. The fish steams effortlessly, and the trapped-in moisture acts as insurance from overcooking the black cod. Voila! Dinner is served.
Ingredients
- 2 large bunches leafy greens of your choosing, stemmed and roughly chopped
- Fine sea salt to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large leek, white and light green part only, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 6-oz filets Seremoni Grade Black Cod, skin removed
- Zest of one lemon
- Freshly cracked black pepper to season
- Soft herbs to garnish
Remove the black cod from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Season the black cod all over with a generous pinch of salt, about ½ teaspoon per filet. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath by adding water and ice to a mixing bowl that’s large enough to hold the cooked greens.
Once boiling, season the water generously with salt. Plunge all of the prepped greens into the water, nudging them down to submerge fully.
Cook for 2 minutes, then transfer the greens directly to the ice bath. Allow the greens to chill, then remove them from the water and wring them out like a dishcloth. They’ll release a lot of water–keep squeezing until they have nothing left to give.
Roughly chop the greens and set aside while you prepare the rest.
In a large, wide-rimmed sauté pan set over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, sliced leeks and a generous pinch of salt.
Stir to coat the leeks, and cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks have softened and begun to release their sweetness, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the cream to the pan and allow it to come up to a bare simmer. Add the chopped greens to the pan and use the back of a wooden spoon to help them unravel and break up any clumps. Allow everything to come back up to a gentle simmer.
Nestle the fish directly into the greens, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6 minutes, undisturbed.
At the 6 minute mark, remove the lid and test the fish for doneness. When fully cooked, the flesh should be opaque and should feel soft and yielding if you give it a gentle nudge with your finger. If it’s not fully cooked, return the lid and cook for another minute or two.
Take the pan off the heat and generously season the whole dish with lots of black pepper and the zest of a lemon.
Serve garnished with a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Dill is particularly delicious, but tarragon, chives, and parsley would all be lovely.