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Cod Fish in Tomato Sauce Recipe

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

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My husband has been asking me to make fish in tomato sauce for some time. He wanted it to taste like the canned sardines in tomato sauce that he had growing up in Ukraine. Of course this Cod Fish in Tomato Sauce recipe is far better since it doesn’t come from a can! He agreed. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit. It can be served warm or cold. 

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

The sauce is lightly tangy and sweet – we modified the sauce portion of this recipe from The New Ukrainian Cookbook. Oh p.s. have you tried capers? If you haven’t, don’t be afraid of them. For a loooong time I thought capers were scary – I’m not sure why, but it kept me from discovering them. They taste like salty mustard flavored pickles and they are a great addition to this dish. You can buy a small jar for $1-something.

pps. I purchased the cod at Costco. If you don’t have access to cod, I think this recipe would work well with other white fish.

Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce:

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups vegetable stock
Seasonings: 1 bay leaf, 6 black peppercorns, 6 allspice berries, 4 cloves
Juice of 1 small lemon (2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp honey

Ingredients For the Fish:

2 lbs cod fillets, cut into 3-inch pieces (drain well, and pat dry with paper towels)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt (I used sea salt)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup light olive oil or avocado oil, to sautee fish
Fresh parsley for garnish, optional

What you will need:

a cheesecloth, or tea infuser, or spice ball for holding spices.

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

How to Make Ukrainian Fish in Tomato Sauce:

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pan, melt 4 Tbsp butter and add finely diced onion. Cook over medium heat about 5 min or until onions are soft. Add 1 minced garlic clove, 6 oz tomato paste and continue cooking 5 min, stirring frequently, until tomato sauce starts to brown. Add 2 cups veggie stock and seasonings contained in a spice ball. Bring to a gentle boil then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 min

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

2. Meanwhile pat fish dry with several paper towels. In a shallow bowl, stir together 2/3 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1/4 cup oil. Once oil is hot, quickly dredge both sides of fish in seasoned flour and place into the hot oil, working in batches if needed (don’t crowd the pan). Saute 3 min per side or until golden, and cooked through, adding more oil as needed.

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

3. Once sauce is done, remove and discard seasoning pouch. Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp capers and 1 Tbsp honey and stir/cook another 2 minutes. Add fish and heat until warmed through, turning fish a couple times to coat. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm or cold. It keeps well for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

Cod Fish in Tomato Sauce

4.96 from 42 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com
This recipe is the result of my husbands cravings for sardines in tomato sauce he ate growing up in Ukraine. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit. Can be served warm or cold.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 6

For the Tomato Sauce:

  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • Seasonings: 1 bay leaf, 6 black peppercorns, 6 allspice berries, 4 cloves
  • Juice of 1 small lemon, 2 Tbsp
  • 1 Tbsp capers
  • 1 Tbsp honey

For the Fish:

  • 2 lbs cod fillets, cut into 3-inch pieces (drain well, and pat dry with paper towels)
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt, I used sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup light olive oil or avocado oil, to sautee fish
  • Fresh parsley for garnish, optional

What you will need:

  • a cheesecloth, or tea infuser, or spice ball for holding spices.

Instructions

  • In a large heavy-bottomed pan, melt 4 Tbsp butter and add finely diced onion. Cook over medium heat about 5 min or until onions are soft. Add 1 minced garlic clove, 6 oz tomato paste and continue cooking 5 min, stirring frequently, until tomato sauce starts to brown. Add 2 cups veggie stock and seasonings contained in a spice ball. Bring to a gentle boil then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 min.
  • Meanwhile pat fish dry with several paper towels. In a shallow bowl, stir together 2/3 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1/4 cup oil. Once oil is hot, quickly dredge both sides of fish in seasoned flour and place into the hot oil, working in batches if needed (don't crowd the pan). Saute 3 min per side or until golden, and cooked through, adding more oil as needed.
  • Once sauce is done, remove and discard seasoning pouch. Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp capers and 1 Tbsp honey and stir/cook another 2 minutes. Add fish and heat until warmed through, turning fish a couple times to coat. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm or cold. It keeps well for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Cod Fish in Tomato Sauce
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $$
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Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.comWhat were some of your favorite foods growing up? Let me know in a comment below. 🙂

Cod fish in Tomato Sauce. The fish is flaky and juicy and the sauce is legit! | natashaskitchen.com

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

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4.96 from 42 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • Flora
    December 5, 2022

    This dish looks delicious. Can it be made in the morning and reheated at dinner time? If yes, would you modify any of the steps? Or would it just be refridgerated once cooled and then reheated at 350 degrees in the oven?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 5, 2022

      Hi Flora! I think fresh is best, that’s how we eat it. It might be ok to reheat but I haven’t made this in advance to provide instructions. The sauce keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

      Reply

  • Ed
    November 12, 2022

    Hi Natasha, love your site, sorry what do you mean once the sauce is done discard the pouch ? in your number 3 instructions. ? the tomato sauce ? thanks so much cheers. Ed

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 12, 2022

      Hi Ed, see my blog notes above (and pictures) under “what you’ll need.” I mention the cheesecloth, or tea infuser, or spice ball for holding spices.

      Reply

  • Anna
    April 26, 2022

    Hi, I wanted to make this recipe but I’m wondering what you’d recommend I serve it with. Rice? Pasta? Any suggestions? Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, can’t wait to make it …

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 26, 2022

      Hi Anna, we love it with either mashed potatoes, rice or pasta! I hope you love it!

      Reply

  • Joanna
    March 9, 2022

    Wow! the flavour of the sauce is incredible! Thank you for sharing. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 9, 2022

      You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoy it!

      Reply

  • Rosy
    May 23, 2021

    Really good!! Thank you Natasha!
    Just for curiosity, I was wondering if I pass the fish in beaten egg and after I pass it in the flour Would this change something or will be the same as just pass it in flour?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 24, 2021

      Hi Rosy, it will alter the outcome a bit, but I bet that could work! If you happen to try that out, I’d love to know how you like that.

      Reply

  • Mark Kizer
    December 20, 2020

    This was far better than I expected from reading other reviews. I was careful not to over cook the cod and luckily I succeeded. The moist, fried cod in the flavor bomb sauce was to die for. I think I’ll make it with haddock next time and take it up a notch.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      December 20, 2020

      Hello Mark, that is fantastic! So good to hear that you loved this recipe, thanks for your great feedback!

      Reply

  • Meytal
    December 5, 2020

    Thanks for another great recipe.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 5, 2020

      You’re welcome Meytal! I hope you enjoy this!

      Reply

  • Natalie Adamzadeh
    April 11, 2020

    What is the name of this dish

    Reply

    • Natasha
      April 11, 2020

      Hi Natalie, I don’t have any other name for it besides what I named it in the post.

      Reply

      • JULIA KIPSHIDZE
        August 24, 2021

        Hi Natasha, I use lots of your recipes but the best thing is my grandmas last name is Kravchuk! I live in Canada and my son was born here but he loves Russian – Ukrainian cuisine, Borsch one of most favorite, Thank you for the recipes, may be we could do Russian potato filled pirozkis with kefir ? thank you, Julia

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          August 24, 2021

          Wow, what a small world! We love borsch at home, it is one of our favorites. Thanks for your suggestion, Julia. I will try to add that to our list.

          Reply

    • Nigel Classen
      June 30, 2020

      Thanks so much for this recipe Natasha. I made it last night and it is by far the loveliest sauce I’ve ever tasted with fish. There’s a host of flavours going on in there which tastes amazing.

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        June 30, 2020

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nigel! Thank you for the wonderful review!

        Reply

  • ed
    May 31, 2019

    I’m going to try it tonite
    vladamir

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 31, 2019

      I hope you love it!

      Reply

  • Magda
    May 31, 2019

    I have to be honest with you, I didn’t think you can pull this off as sardines in tomato sauce from the tin are just impossible to make. That’s what I thought anyway….How wrong was I !!!!! Yours is way better than from the tins!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 31, 2019

      You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Magda!

      Reply

  • ant.pr
    January 24, 2019

    this is the best meal I’v had in a while!! thank you.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 25, 2019

      That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your great review with me!

      Reply

  • Laura K Keck
    January 19, 2019

    This is a delicious recipe! I didn’t have the whole cloves or allspice, so I added the ground spices directly. I also added some diced carrots & an extra can of diced tomatoes. Everyone loved this dish! I served with crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 20, 2019

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Laura!

      Reply

  • LFK
    June 4, 2018

    Hi,

    The flavor was excellent!

    However, I had some issue with frying the cod. The fillets were of varying thicknesses. Do you have any specifications for fillet thickness? I found that the fish was a bit overcooked/tough after I finished frying them up. I’ve got an infrared thermometer, and tried to keep the pan at about 165 F. I would be curious if you might specify an oil temperature to use? I also added oil between batches to keep the depth at somewhere between 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

    I often gravitate to sous vide cooking for fish, as use of a water bath at constant temperature prevents overcooking. Sous vide is what I usually gravitate to when I’ve got fish fillets of uneven sizes, particularly for thinner fillets like Coho salmon.

    Next time I make this, I might cook the cod sous vide and then sear it at the end. Alternatively, breading and baking followed by ladling the sauce on top might be good.

    Thank you again for some great cooking ideas!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 4, 2018

      Thank you for sharing your review! I haven’t had that issue so I wonder if it is due to the size of the filet since cod can come in varying thicknesses. If you try sous vide, let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  • Chris
    April 21, 2018

    Hi Natasha

    I made this tonight with boiled asparagus and home made garlic bread as side dishes, really nice, I do like the look of the fish recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 21, 2018

      Awesome, I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Chris! Thanks for following and sharing your great review!

      Reply

      • Anna
        July 17, 2019

        Wondering what’s proportion of spices to cook with if I don’t have the whole cloves and corns?

        Reply

        • Natasha
          July 17, 2019

          Hi Anna, I haven’t tried it with the ground counterparts so I can’t say for sure how those would affect the outcome of the recipe.

          Reply

  • Kaye
    July 1, 2017

    I am making this for a dinner party. Can you suggest a wine pairing?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 1, 2017

      Hi Kaye, I don’t drink alcohol so I can’t be much help with that.

      Reply

    • Susan Sparke
      August 16, 2021

      Hi Kaye,
      I realize that your dinner party is long past, but I would recommend pairing this disg with a dry white wine such as a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Blanc du Val or any other that you prefer. If you desire a red wine, then perhaps a rosé would also work or even a Beaujolais is also a nice all-purpose red wine, which shouldn’t overpower nor dominate the delicate flavor of the fish. Remember to choose what you like and price does not always indicate quality, so don’t feel compelled to “break the bank” for a bottle of wine. You are already enjoying it correctly by sharing it with family and friends over good food. My family has been growing wine grapes for many generations and I have also studied viticulture and enology and worked in the wine making industry at the largest grape crushing facility in the world. I hope that your dinner party was a success and that you will consider supporting the wine growers of Madera, California where I come from. Wishing you all the best! ~Susan Sparke

      Reply

  • Eugenea
    June 8, 2017

    All your recipes I’ve tried so far, including this one, have turned out absolutely delicious! You are so talented! Thank you and your husband for doing this!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 9, 2017

      It’s our pleasure Eugenea! Thanks for following and sharing your thoughtful comments! 😀

      Reply

  • Natasha
    January 19, 2017

    Hello Natasha,

    Can I use a coffee filter to put the spices into when cooking? I don’t have a tea or spice holder and don’t have cheesecloth either 🙁

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 20, 2017

      I haven’t ever tried that so I honestly am not sure if it would actually release the flavor into the dish properly. You really need water to push it through a coffee filter. I suspect it won’t work well.

      Reply

  • Radha
    December 21, 2016

    Natasha, lovely recipe! What would you serve this fish with, traditionally?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 21, 2016

      Hi Radha, I think mashed potatoes or white rice, or plain buckwheat groats are best paired with this fish because the fish is so flavorful and it’s nice over a more plain grain or potatoes.

      Reply

      • radha
        December 31, 2016

        mmm, thank you so much! love your recipes!

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          December 31, 2016

          My pleasure! 🙂

          Reply

  • Ray Nelson [Did, Zedo, etc.]
    September 8, 2016

    When cooking for my wife and me, alone, we buy our cod at Fred Meyer. Often the folks at many [most?] supermarkets can order 5 lb. boxes of frozen cod and other seafood; it can be divided, vacuum-sealed, and placed in the home freezer before it thaws. Also, we buy frozen shrimp of several sizes in 2 lb. bags, so we have shrimp on hand anytime. Those vacuum sealers are lifesavers.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 8, 2016

      We love vacuum sealing everything since we got our foodsaver. It’s a wonderful tool and saves money by buying in bulk and preserving foods longer without spoiling. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

      Reply

  • Elena
    April 12, 2016

    Good morning Natasha. Could you please give more details in regards “spicing ball”? How exactly to use it and what is inside? Im not quite understand the picture where (if im correct) small plastic container inside of frying pen. How it can infuse with spice if it is not in it?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 12, 2016

      It’s just a fine mesh metal spice holder, similar to a tea infuser (and you could probably use a tea infuser), or you could just tie the spices in a small piece of fine mesh cheesecloth and set that in the sauce. I hope that helps!

      Reply

      • Kelly
        September 26, 2019

        If you have a teabag, just carefully open it up, put the spices in there and fold over and staple the top. It will work!

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          September 26, 2019

          Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

          Reply

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