COURSE:
Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Recipe Page, Recipes
Buttery Tomatoes with Caramelised Fennel and Cod
Elegant, flavourful and effortlessly comforting, this Buttery Tomatoes with Caramelised Fennel and Cod dish is a beautifully balanced recipe that brings together rich, slow-cooked vegetables with tender, flaky fish. It’s a refined yet approachable meal that’s perfect for midweek dinners, date nights or when you’re in the mood for something nourishing and a little bit special.
At the heart of the dish is a base of slow-cooked tomatoes enriched with butter, creating a luxurious sauce that’s both sweet and tangy. Caramelised fennel adds depth and a subtle aniseed warmth, complementing the acidity of the tomatoes while offering a soft, almost melt-in-the-mouth texture. The cod is gently cooked until perfectly flaky, soaking up the vibrant flavours from the buttery base without being overwhelmed.
This recipe is as much about the quality of ingredients as it is about the method. The Instant Pot allows you to intensify the flavours in less time, softening the fennel and melding everything together beautifully. It’s an ideal way to create slow-cooked richness without spending hours in the kitchen.
Serve with a crusty piece of sourdough to mop up the sauce, or alongside steamed greens or herbed couscous for a more complete plate. It’s a naturally light dish, but the buttery base and gently cooked vegetables give it a wonderfully comforting feel – perfect for any time of year.
Whether you’re cooking to impress or simply want a nourishing, flavour-led dinner, this recipe delivers. Sophisticated yet simple, it showcases how well fish pairs with rich vegetables and gentle aromatics – a true modern classic for your Instant Pot repertoire.
Buttery Tomatoes with Caramelised Fennel and Cod
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins cooking
Servings:
4
Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500g cherry or mixed tomatoes
- 1 large fennel bulb (or 2 small)
- 80g unsalted butter
- 500ml chicken or fish stock (or veg stock if preferred)
- ½ cup (90g) whole wheat pearl couscous
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 8g), leaves only
- 1 tbsp Calabrian chili paste (or to taste)
- 4 cod fillets (approx. 480g total)
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes, fennel, garlic, and parsley. Halve the fennel bulb lengthwise through the root, then cut each half into wedges, keeping a bit of the root on each to help hold them together. Finely slice the garlic. Pick and chop the parsley leaves.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High). Once hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and the fennel wedges in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Cook for a few minutes per side until deeply golden and starting to soften. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, pearl couscous, chicken stock, and Calabrian chili paste. Stir well to combine, scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pot.
- Cancel sauté mode. Secure the lid and set to Pressure Cook (High) for 2 minutes. When finished, do a quick release and carefully remove the lid.
- Switch the pot to Keep Warm. Nestle the cod fillets into the hot broth, skin side up if applicable, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the lid loosely on top (not sealed), and let the fish gently poach for 6–8 minutes, or until it flakes easily..
- Gently remove the cod onto a serving platter. Stir in the butter and chopped parsley, letting the butter melt into the broth. Taste and adjust for seasoning — it should be spicy, buttery, and sweet from the tomatoes.
- Spoon the couscous, broth, vegetables onto a serving platter around the fish fillets. Serve warm, with crusty bread if you like.
Notes
Watch how to make this recipe on our socials here: Recipe
Buttery Tomatoes with Caramelised Fennel and Cod
COURSE:
Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Recipe Page, Recipes
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins cooking
Servings:
4
Product:
Instant Pot Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500g cherry or mixed tomatoes
- 1 large fennel bulb (or 2 small)
- 80g unsalted butter
- 500ml chicken or fish stock (or veg stock if preferred)
- ½ cup (90g) whole wheat pearl couscous
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 8g), leaves only
- 1 tbsp Calabrian chili paste (or to taste)
- 4 cod fillets (approx. 480g total)
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes, fennel, garlic, and parsley. Halve the fennel bulb lengthwise through the root, then cut each half into wedges, keeping a bit of the root on each to help hold them together. Finely slice the garlic. Pick and chop the parsley leaves.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High). Once hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and the fennel wedges in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Cook for a few minutes per side until deeply golden and starting to soften. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, pearl couscous, chicken stock, and Calabrian chili paste. Stir well to combine, scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pot.
- Cancel sauté mode. Secure the lid and set to Pressure Cook (High) for 2 minutes. When finished, do a quick release and carefully remove the lid.
- Switch the pot to Keep Warm. Nestle the cod fillets into the hot broth, skin side up if applicable, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the lid loosely on top (not sealed), and let the fish gently poach for 6–8 minutes, or until it flakes easily..
- Gently remove the cod onto a serving platter. Stir in the butter and chopped parsley, letting the butter melt into the broth. Taste and adjust for seasoning — it should be spicy, buttery, and sweet from the tomatoes.
- Spoon the couscous, broth, vegetables onto a serving platter around the fish fillets. Serve warm, with crusty bread if you like.
Notes
Watch how to make this recipe on our socials here: Recipe
Buttery Tomatoes with Caramelised Fennel and Cod
Elegant, flavourful and effortlessly comforting, this Buttery Tomatoes with Caramelised Fennel and Cod dish is a beautifully balanced recipe that brings together rich, slow-cooked vegetables with tender, flaky fish. It’s a refined yet approachable meal that’s perfect for midweek dinners, date nights or when you’re in the mood for something nourishing and a little bit special.
At the heart of the dish is a base of slow-cooked tomatoes enriched with butter, creating a luxurious sauce that’s both sweet and tangy. Caramelised fennel adds depth and a subtle aniseed warmth, complementing the acidity of the tomatoes while offering a soft, almost melt-in-the-mouth texture. The cod is gently cooked until perfectly flaky, soaking up the vibrant flavours from the buttery base without being overwhelmed.
This recipe is as much about the quality of ingredients as it is about the method. The Instant Pot allows you to intensify the flavours in less time, softening the fennel and melding everything together beautifully. It’s an ideal way to create slow-cooked richness without spending hours in the kitchen.
Serve with a crusty piece of sourdough to mop up the sauce, or alongside steamed greens or herbed couscous for a more complete plate. It’s a naturally light dish, but the buttery base and gently cooked vegetables give it a wonderfully comforting feel – perfect for any time of year.
Whether you’re cooking to impress or simply want a nourishing, flavour-led dinner, this recipe delivers. Sophisticated yet simple, it showcases how well fish pairs with rich vegetables and gentle aromatics – a true modern classic for your Instant Pot repertoire.
