One-Pan Cod with Tomatoes and Capers

Dinner Therapist is my column dedicated to solving your dilemmas around the most important — but, let’s be honest, sometimes most dreaded — meal of the day. Prepping dinner night after night can be so hard. Here, I deliver practical and hopefully fun advice to make cooking less complicated and more enjoyable. Follow along for all the recipes. Got your own dinner struggles? We want to hear from you! Fill out this super-quick form for your chance to be featured in an upcoming column.

Welcome back to Dinner Therapist! I’ve loved hearing from so many of you about the dinner dilemmas you face, and what you’d love to see in a weeknight recipe. One of the most common responses was not having a lot of time to deal with dinner, and wanting a dinner recipe with minimal prep. 

With that in mind, I knew immediately the recipe I wanted to share with you: A one-pan fish dinner with jammy burst tomatoes, briny capers, and a bright sauce. It’s a family favorite that I’ve been making for years. And it’s a totally satisfying one-pan dinner that involves minimal prep and mostly hands-off cooking (you will have to get your chef’s knife out, but I promise that the chopping is kept to a bare minimum). 

The beauty of this recipe is that you’ll have this prepped before the oven even heats up. Plus, the oven does all the heavy lifting. While your dinner cooks, use this time to make a pot of orzo or couscous, slice a loaf of bread, toss together a simple green salad, wash the dishes, prep tomorrow’s lunch boxes — or just pour yourself a glass of wine. 

This meal is for nights I need to throw dinner in the oven without a lot of fuss, and I don’t have time or energy for prep work (or just really don’t feel like cooking, but still want to eat something really delicious). As a bonus, this recipe has a short ingredient list (seven, to be exact, not counting oil, salt, and pepper because they’re basics we all have) and lots of flexibility for substitutions so you can use what you already have.

When I’m cooking for my family I often make ingredient swaps to use what I have on hand. That’s why when I develop recipes I do my best to build in flexibility whenever possible. I recognize that making swaps might not always feel obvious or intuitive, so I’m here to help. Here’s where you have flexibility with this recipe.

• Fish. I call for cod in the recipe because it’s widely available and not too pricey, but any firm white fish will work here. Halibut and haddock are also good options, and even mahi mahi will work. You can also use fresh or frozen fish. If using frozen fillets, just be sure to thaw them first.
• Tomatoes. The recipe calls for grape tomatoes, but if you have slightly larger cherry tomatoes, rest assured they’ll work just fine.
• Capers. If you like just a little bit of capers, stick with using two tablespoons. Or if you love them, go ahead and use the full 1/4 cup. Don’t have capers on hand? No problem! Pitted olives, such as Castelvetrano, kalamata, and black olives, make a great stand-in here! If you have another variety, use it — they all work. Just smash them with your chef’s knife or tear them into tiny pieces.
• Vinegar. Take your pick between red wine or sherry vinegar here; they’re both great.
• Fresh herbs. A sprinkle of fresh herbs over the fish before serving is such a nice touch. Use whatever you have handy or like best. Parsley, basil, chives, mint, dill, or tarragon all work well.