Pan-Fried Cod

5 from 4 votes

This easy pan-fried cod recipe is a simple, healthy way to enjoy fish anytime, with just a few pantry staples. Never cooked fish? Start here!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Fish & Seafood

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Judy

Ingredients

1 pound cod fillet (if you have a large fillet, cut in half crosswise so the pieces fit comfortably in the pan)
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)

Instructions

Gently rinse the fillets clean, and pat all sides dry with a paper towel. This step is important to ensure the fillet browns nicely and stays intact.
Season the fillet on both sides with the Shaoxing wine, and rub with your fingers to evenly cover the fish. Then sprinkle the white pepper and salt on both sides of the fish. I use the technique of gently tapping the measuring spoon with the seasoning to evenly distribute it over the fish.
Marinate on the counter for 15-20 minutes. This lets the fish come up to room temperature, so it can cook evenly. Right before cooking, thinly coat the fish on both sides with the cornstarch.
Now preheat a clean frying pan over medium-high heat until it starts to lightly smoke (skip this step if using a non-stick pan). Add the oil and swirl to coat. Lay the fish in the pan, and cook over medium-high to high heat, until it turns opaque around the edges, about 3-4 minutes. Move the pan around to ensure the oil is evenly distributed.
Use a large spatula to gently flip the fish. Cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Serve!

Nutrition

Pan-Fried Cod by The Woks of Life. Recipe URL: https://body-goals.fit/pan-fried-cod/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-93662":{"type":"food","name":"Pan-Fried Cod","slug":"wprm-pan-fried-cod","image_url":"https:\/\/thewoksoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pan-fried-fish-8.jpg","rating":{"count":4,"total":20,"average":5,"type":{"comment":4,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":1,"amount":"1","unit":"pound","name":"cod fillet","notes":"(if you have a large fillet, cut in half crosswise so the pieces fit comfortably in the pan)","unit_id":5275,"id":1649,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","timestamp":1774160153000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","unitParsed":"pound"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"Shaoxing wine","notes":"","unit_id":5273,"id":272,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","timestamp":1774160153000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","name":"white pepper","notes":"","unit_id":5268,"id":314,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774160153000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","name":"sea salt","notes":"","unit_id":5268,"id":1496,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774160153000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"cornstarch","notes":"","unit_id":5273,"id":267,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","timestamp":1774160153000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","name":"neutral oil","notes":"(such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)","unit_id":5262,"id":1095,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","timestamp":1774160153000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","unitParsed":"tablespoon"}}}],"originalServings":"2","originalServingsParsed":2,"currentServings":"2","currentServingsParsed":2,"currentServingsFormatted":"2","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0}}}