Cod with Bacon & Balsamic Tomatoes

Will six months old, sitting up, reaching for things including the wooden rattle Robert carved, development milestones. The week was the life. The life was the cooking. The cooking was the love. And the love was the week, and the week was one of the weeks that stack together to become the years, and the years become the life, and the life is the woman at the stove who cooks and writes and loves and does not stop.

I made she-crab soup on Sunday — the anchor, the constant, the practice. The soup was perfect. The perfection was the practice. And the practice continues, one Sunday at a time, one bowl at a time, one life at a time, the woman stirring, the roux thickening, the kitchen warm, the family fed, the love alive.

She-crab soup is Sunday’s anchor, but on the nights between — the ordinary Tuesday or Thursday when Will has finally settled and the kitchen is quiet and I want something that comes together with intention but not exhaustion — this cod with bacon and balsamic tomatoes is what I reach for. It has that same quality I love about the soup: the roux thickening, the warmth spreading through the room, the sense that the act of cooking is itself the love. It’s the kind of dish that reminds me the weeks that stack into years are made of small, deliberate things — a good piece of fish, a hot pan, a family to feed.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 cod fillets (about 6 oz each), patted dry
4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley, torn

Instructions

Cook the bacon. In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon pieces until crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
Build the tomato sauce. Add the olive oil to the skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes if using, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5–6 minutes.
Sear the cod. Push the tomato mixture to the edges of the skillet. Season the cod fillets with the remaining salt and black pepper, then nestle them into the center of the pan. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until the bottom is golden.
Finish cooking. Spoon some of the tomato mixture over the top of each fillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan loosely with a lid or foil, and cook an additional 4–5 minutes until the cod is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Finish and serve. Scatter the reserved bacon over the top. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve immediately, spooning the pan juices generously over each fillet.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cod with Bacon & Balsamic Tomatoes — The Weeknight Anchor That Feeds the Soul