I’ve been trying to introduce more varieties of fish into my diet since the new year began. My go-to fish of choice has always been salmon because of it’s full of flavour and good texture – it doesn’t mush up as easily as some fish do when cooking, which helps with presentation. I also find that there’s not always a great choice of fresh fish at the supermarket. None the less, I decided to have a go at cooking cod fillets and came up with this recipe for cooking it with bacon and butter beans. It’s perfect for a hearty dinner that can be cooked up in minutes.
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Key Ingredients
(see below for full list of ingredients)
- Fresh Cod Fillets: Cod is low in fat.
- Streaky Bacon: Adds flavour to the dish.
- Peeled Chopped Tomatoes: This is the base of the sauce.
- Butter Beans: Adds protein and makes the dish more hearty.
How To Make Cod with Bacon and Butter Beans
Step One: Heat a deep non-stick frying pan or wok over a medium heat and add in 200 g streaky bacon. Cook for 2.5 minutes on each side and use tongs to remove the bacon leaving the oil in the pan. Chop up the cooked bacon and set it aside for later.
Step Two: Add in 1 finely diced onion to the bacon grease and cook for around 5 minutes until it has softened.
Step Three: Add in 3 cloves minced garlic along with 0.5 tsp smoked paprika, 0.5 tsp mixed dried herbs and mix well.
Step Four: Add the cooked bacon back to the pan along with 400 g peeled chopped tomatoes, 250 ml water used to was the can out and 400 g drained tinned butter beans. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Step Five: Carefully nestle 560 g cod fillets into the tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
How To Serve Cod with Bacon and Butter Beans
- This dish can be served with mashed potatoes, rice, orzo or crusty bread.
- A side of steamed peas and broccoli also works well with this.

Tips for Making Cod with Bacon and Butter Beans
- Try not to touch the cod too much once it is in the pan as it becomes quite soft and delicate.
- Since tinned butter beans are used in this recipe they will already be cooked. If you like them quite tender then you can add them in after the cod has simmered, for the last three minutes of cooking. I, however like my beans a little softer which is why I add them in just before adding in the cod.
Cod with Bacon and Butter Beans Recipe
Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes |
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g streaky bacon
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 400 g can peeled chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 560 g fresh cod fillets (around 4 fillets)
- 400 g can butter beans
METHOD
- Place a deep frying pan or wok onto a medium heat and cook the bacon for around 5 minutes, turning half way. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving behind the grease, and chop the bacon up to be used later.
- Fry the onion in the bacon grease for around 5 minutes until softened.
- Add in the garlic, paprika and herbs and mix well.
- Add the bacon back to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes, water, and butter beans. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil.
- Nestle in the cod fillets. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

NOTES
- Be careful not to prod the cod too much once it has been added to the pan as it will delicate and prone to flaking up. Also don’t over cook the fish.