Pan seared corvina with Portuguese sausage
Pan seared corvina is a one pan meal that has quickly become a new favorite. This easy corvina recipe is perfect for weeknight cooking. Saffron potatoes and Portuguese linguiça round out this dish for a complete meal. Serve with crusty bread for getting every last bit of sauce on your plate.
One pan meals, like this creamy chicken pasta, are a lifesaver during the week. A handful of ingredients and one pan deliver a hearty meal with very little effort.
Pan seared corvina
Like my corvina with butter and herbs, this meal starts out with seared fillets. Fish is notorious for sticking to pans, so make sure to use a nonstick pan or one with some type of coating.
The key to getting a good sear on anything – whether it’s fish , chicken, steak or vegetables, is moderately high heat and not touching it. Once you lay it down in the pan – leave it alone.
This is especially important with fish like corvina because it is a delicate fish and it will break apart with too much poking and prodding. A fish spatula is best for turning and removing it from the pan, as it is thin and flexible. It can get underneath the fillets without breaking them.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this fish recipe are common staples, like onions, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes. I found the Portuguese sausage at Whole Foods, but if you’re lucky enough to have a Portuguese or Brazilian market near you, go there first.
You’ll find saffron in the spice aisle at the grocery store. A little goes a long way. You can use turmeric for the color, but the taste of saffron can’t be substituted.
How to make seared corvina
This corvina fish recipe is easy enough to tackle after a work day. The whole thing comes together in just over 30 minutes.
Chef’s tip: Always put the “good side” face down first in the pan. How do you know? Here’s a photo to help!
First, we’ll sear the corvina until golden brown on top. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic and linguiça sausage to the pan and cook until onions have softened.
Next, add the diced potatoes and saffron. Let the potatoes cook until they are tender, then add the seared corvina back to the pan to finish cooking in the sauce.
The ideal pan for this dish is a braiser. It is a wide, shallow pan with sloped sides and has a tight-fitting lid. The one I’ve linked to is the one in the photos. It is worth every penny.
If you have a non-stick sauté pan with high sides and a tight-fitting lid, that will work too.
Portuguese corvina with linguica and saffron
The flavors in this gluten-free dish are similar to caldeirada, a Portuguese fish stew. You could easily turn this into a brothier meal by adding a bit of fish or chicken stock to the pan.
Linguiça is a smoked Portuguese sausage. If you can’t find any near you, most grocery stores carry some variety of Spanish chorizo. If that’s not an option either, try andouille or keilbasa.
This stovetop recipe could easily be turned into a baked corvina recipe with a few tweaks. I’d suggest adding a bit of stock to the pan and letting everything bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes before adding the fish.
Depending on the thickness of the fillets, corvina will only take about 15 – 18 minutes to cook in the oven.
Saffron
What gives this pan roasted corvina its golden hue is saffron. Each of these threads is a handpicked stigma from the crocus flower that produces this expensive spice.
A pinch of saffron goes a long way to impart color and a wonderfully heady aroma and taste to the fish and potatoes.
If you are a strict pescatarian, or you’re serving this fish on Friday during the Lenten season, omit the sausage.
What to serve with seared corvina
A simple green salad or this gorgonzola and grilled pear salad would be nice with this dinner.
I’d keep dessert simple, with something like no bake lemon cheesecake parfaits.
And there you have it friends. An easy and delicious midweek dinner with only one pan to clean up.
Please share
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.
Pan seared corvina with Portuguese sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion diced (1 1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 4 oz. linguiça sausage
- pinch saffron
- 1 tsp. kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- a few grinds of fresh black pepper 1/2 tsp.
- 2 small potatoes peeled and diced (I used Yukon gold)
- 2 fillets corvina 6 ounces each
- flat-leaf Italian parsley finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- In a wide, shallow pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
- Season both sides of the fish with half of the salt and pepper. Place fish in pan and cook for 6 – 8 minutes, until it is golden brown.
- Using a fish spatula, carefully remove the corvina and set aside.
- Add sausage to the pan and let it brown a little, 2 – 3 minutes, then add diced tomatoes, onions and garlic. Cook for an additional 6 – 8 minutes, until onions have softened.
- Add white wine and let it cook for 2 – 3 minutes before adding potatoes, a big pinch of saffon and the remaining salt and pepper.
- Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 – 12 minutes.
- Add corvina back into the pan and cook for an additional 5 – 6 minutes, until cooked through and potatoes are soft.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂
Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe without prior written permission. Thank you!