This One-Pan Cod Is Our Ideal Late-Summer California Dinner

In the Sunset Idea Kitchen, some of our favorite recipes start with a simple question: What’s at its absolute best right now? In late summer, the answer is hard to beat: intensely sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh corn, and fragrant basil. For this one-pan dinner, we put them to work with gently braised cod and finish the whole thing with a punchy lemon-basil gremolata made with organic pistachios from Nichols Farms.

The fourth-generation California farming family grows its pistachios with the kind of attention to land and longevity we appreciate: Water used during harvest is recycled for irrigation, solar power helps run the operation, and pistachio hulls are composted rather than discarded. In the gremolata, the nuts add rich, toasted flavor and enough crunch to wake up the tender fish and jammy tomatoes.

Courtesy of Hestan

The cookware gets equal consideration. We made the dish in Hestan ProBond Luxe stainless steel, handcrafted in Italy with a pure aluminum core designed to distribute heat quickly and evenly. That means you can get real color on the corn, then use the same responsive pan to gently burst tomatoes and braise delicate fish. The seamless handle—designed with chef Thomas Keller—is one of those details you notice every time you pick up the pan.

The result is exactly the kind of food we want to cook right now: bright, unfussy, deeply seasonal, and distinctly Californian.

Burst-Tomato Braised Cod with Corn and Pistachio-Lemon-Basil Gremolata

Serves 4 | About 35 minutes

Ingredients

Gremolata

• 1/2 cup roasted, salted Nichols Farms pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Cod

• 1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes, or to taste
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless cod fillets, about 5 to 6 ounces each
• 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Make the gremolata. Combine pistachios, basil, lemon zest, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Toast the corn. Heat some oil in a large stainless-steel skillet or medium sauté pan using medium-high heat. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Burst the tomatoes. Add remaining olive oil, sliced garlic, and chile flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they begin to collapse and release their juices, 6 to 8 minutes, pressing a few gently with the back of a spoon.

4. Braise the cod. Stir the toasted corn into the tomatoes. Nestle cod fillets into the mixture and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, about 6 to 9 minutes depending on thickness.

5. Finish and serve. Squeeze lemon over the pan. Spoon the tomato-corn mixture around the cod and generously scatter the pistachio gremolata over the top. Serve immediately.