What to pair with a white wine from Rioja? Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce. Well, I knew it wanted to be a Spanish inspired dish. With the wine we had which was 100% Viura I knew that I needed a flavorful dish for this oak-aged white wine, as while it would be bright, it would also be rich and the dish would need to stand up to that. I settled on fish cooked in a sauce and this recipe for cod cooked in white wine and saffron came close to what I was looking for in the flavor profile.
This recipe was inspired by “Spain on a fork”. This is a great site to search for Spanish inspired dishes!
This recipe is quick and easy, with maybe 15 minutes tops of actual cooking time on the stove. You can use fish other than cod also, just be aware that the cooking time may need to adjust if you have a lighter or meatier fish.
As we were pairing this with a white wine from Rioja, and the dish calls for wine…well, since it only required 1/2 cup, I used the wine I would be serving it with. This helps tie the pairing together.
We served this with roasted lemon potatoes and a salad with seared lemon, goat cheese and almonds with a white wine & honey vinaigrette.
The wine was a beautiful Finca Alta Cantabria from Conde Valdemar made of 100% Viura fermented and aged in New French Oak.
Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 – 7 to 8 oz cod fillets
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove of garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup diced red pepper
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh chives
- Lemon zest
Directions
- Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper
- Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat
- Let this warm for a minute and add the onion and red pepper
- Cook 3 minutes
- Add the garlic
- Cook 30 seconds
- Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper
- Add the wine
- Bring to a boil then add the cod fillets
- Cover and cook 4 minutes
- Carefully flip the fillets.
- Cover and cook another 4 minutes
- Remove from heat.
- Plate the cod, spooning the sauce over it.
- Garnish with chives and lemon zest.
Additional sides
We roasted some potatoes with lemon and put together a salad with seared lemon slices, goat cheese, and almonds topped with a honey & white wine vinaigrette.
This all comes together pretty quickly! The potatoes can roast while you cook the cod! I did need a minute to sear the lemon slices, which I did in a pan with olive oil and a little brown sugar.
Watch for the potato recipe coming soon!
Finca Alto Cantabria from Conde Valdemar
The White Rioja we paired with this dish is made of 100% Viura which is the predominant white grape in the Spanish Region of Rioja. This region is mostly known for its red wines based on the red grape Tempranillo, but barrel-aged white wines are also traditional in this area.
To read more about this wine, visit our post “Viura – There is more to Rioja than Tempranillo“
Cod in a white wine and Saffron Sauce
What to pair with a white wine from Rioja?
Well I knew it wanted to be a Spanish inspired dish. With the wine we had which was 100% Viura I knew that I needed a flavorful dish for this oak-aged white wine, as while it would be bright, it would also be rich and the dish would need to stand up to that. I settled on fish cooked in a sauce and this recipe for cod cooked in white wine and saffron came close to what I was looking for in the flavor profile.
Ingredients
- 2 – 7 oz cod fillets
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove of garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup diced red pepper
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh chives
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper
- Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat
- Let this warm for a minute and add the onion and red pepper
- Cook 3 minutes
- Add the garlic and stir
- Cook 30 seconds
- Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper and stir
- Add the wine
- Bring to a boil then add the cod fillets
- Cover and cook 4 minutes
- Carefully flip the fillets. Cover and cook another 4 minutes
- Remove from heat.
- Plate the cod, spooning the sauce over it.
- Garnish with chives and lemon zest.
Notes
We served this with roasted lemon potatoes and a salad with seared lemon, goat cheese and almonds with a white wine & honey vinaigrette.
The wine was a beautiful Finca Alta Cantabria from Conde Valdemar made of 100% Viura fermented and aged in New French Oak.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 395Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 109mgSodium 310mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 46g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
More recipes with Wine Pairings from Crushed Grape Chronicles
Hungry for more wine and food pairings? You can visit our recipe page for more inspiration!
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Leave a Reply