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Alaska Cod Sliders with Cranberry Chutney is a healthy, festive appetizer, perfect for your holiday gatherings! The combination of grilled fish with a tart, savory homemade cranberry sauce makes for a perfect match.

This post is in partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Remember the easy sheet pan halibut recipe I shared with you last month?

Well today, I’m sharing another super easy seafood recipe that would make a perfect accompaniment for your holiday gatherings.

Fish can be a great option for holiday entertaining, whether you’re looking for Thanksgiving or Christmas fish recipes. White fish, in particular, are great for holiday dishes because they are mild and easily blend in with other flavors. I’m looking forward to creating some new traditions this year, serving fish on our table. 

Aside from salmon, I would say cod is the other fish I’m most familiar with cooking, as we love grilled cod recipes.

We are using Alaska cod in this recipe. Cod is a light white fish that has a very mild taste and cooks very quickly. I think it pairs nicely with so many things!

Should You Use Fresh or Frozen Fish?

This is a popular question I get among clients and consumers. Fresh or frozen? Which is more healthful and sustainable?

The answer is either!

I used fresh cod fillets, but you can rest assure with frozen Alaska seafood as well, knowing that it is frozen just after leaving the water to ensure extreme freshness.  This is one of the reasons we love buying Alaska seafood, as it is always wild and sustainable.

Alaska seafood is harvested seasonally and available year-round as fresh, frozen, smoked and canned and is very affordable.

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No matter which form of fish you choose or prefer, Alaska seafood is naturally high in nutrients, like long chain omega 3 fatty acids (like EPA/DHA), Vitamin D, selenium and more. 

After today, you’ll feel so much more confident making any cod fillet recipes, I promise!

Cooking with Cod

Cooking with Alaska cod is similar to cooking with other whitefish, like halibut, sablefish, pollock, sole and rockfish.  These fish species are great for every taste, budget and cooking technique. 

Cod can be pan seared, grilled, or baked in the oven. I really enjoy grilled cod recipes, but since this is for holiday entertaining, it’s probably more likely that many of us will be making cod in our skillets or in the oven. 

Pan seared cod recipes are my favorite because they’re so quick! You could bake them or grill them, but cod recipes in a skillet are ready in minutes.

How To Make Cod Sliders

Just take your cod fillets, and cut them into small square shapes to go on your sliders. Mine were about an inch thick. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, lemon juice and minced garlic.

Then, I added butter to the skillet and cooked for about 3 minutes on each side.

This is my go-to seasoning for healthy cod recipes, and you can add seasonings as you choose. 

Once the cod fillets are cooked through, you’ll let them cool. While they are cooling, slather some greek yogurt on the buns, then layer on the cod.

Finally, layer on the cranberry chutney, and that’s really all you need to do for this cod fish cake recipe! I also like to top with sprouts for some more flavor and nutrition. 

What Do You Need to Make Cranberry Chutney?

Need an easy cranberry chutney recipe? It’s not as hard as you may think and I’m going to walk you through it so you can add this recipe to your healthy holiday appetizers. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• fresh cranberries
• 1 orange
• water
• onion
• cinnamon
• sugar
• honey
• rosemary sprigs (optional), for topping

This sauce is very easy to make and comes together in about 20 minutes. I recommend mixing this before cooking the cod so it has a chance to sit and marinate while you’re making your cod fish cakes. 

First, mix your cranberries, juice from the orange, water, onion, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 

Slowly stir in the honey and sugar. Lower the heat to medium once they are dissolved and them simmer until you hear the berries pop.

You will continue to stir occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken (it will get a little sticky). 

This homemade cranberry sauce is also great as a dip on crackers or paired with cheese.

Other Notes About The Cranberry Chutney Recipe

If desired, you can reduce the amount of sugar in the cranberry relish, but since cranberries are quite tart, I think the sugar is appropriate.

While Thanksgiving fish recipes may seem a little non-traditional, these are actually quite festive thanks to the homemade cranberry sauce we’re adding. The tart flavor of cranberries can actually be quite refreshing and pairs perfectly with all Thanksgiving leftovers.

What To Serve Fish Sliders With:

These cod sliders are a healthy easy holiday appetizer that can be served on their own or paired up with some other foods for a full meal.

Here are some of my top suggestions:

• roasted vegetables (these maple balsamic roasted vegetables are perfect to stick with the holiday theme!) or a vegetable platter
• chips and salsa
• potato salad or casserole
• mediterranean pasta salad
• meatballs

The options are endless. I think christmas fish recipes are great because fish can really be dressed up any way to achieve flavor, and mesh pretty well with other flavors as well. 

Other Holiday Recipe Favorites

• Crockpot Gingerbread Oatmeal
• Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
• Chocolate Pomegranate Energy Bites
• Whole Wheat Gingerbread Protein Pancakes
• Peppermint Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Sheet Pan Maple Roasted Vegetables
• Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash Salad

Continue to Content

Yield: 6 sliders

Alaska Cod Sliders with Cranberry Chutney

Print

Alaska Cod Sliders with Cranberry Chutney is a healthy, festive appetizer, perfect for your holiday gatherings! The combination of grilled fish with a tart, savory homemade cranberry sauce makes for a perfect match.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Cod Sliders

• 1 lb fresh or frozen Alaska cod filets
• 2 cloves garlic
• juice of half a lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt, divided
• 8 mini buns
• sprouts or watercress, for topping

Cranberry Chutney

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• juice of half an orange
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Instructions

1. Rinse Alaska cod fillets and pat dry with a paper towel to remove fishy juices. Cut into 6-8 equal pieces.
2. Season cod with garlic, salt and pepper and set aside while you make cranberry chutney.
3. Combine cranberries, orange, water, onion, cinnamon, salt in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly stir in sugar and honey.
4. Once dissolved, lower heat to medium and allow to simmer for 10-15  minutes, or until you hear berries begin to pop. Continue to stir occasionally, until mixture begins to thicken, 10 more minutes.
5. While cranberry sauce is thickening, melt butter on skillet over medium heat. Add cod filets and cod in saucepan for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until opaque and cooked through.
6. Let cool and prepare your rolls. Coat the bottom of each roll with greek yogurt (I did about a tablespoon on each roll), add fish and top with cranberry chutney and sprouts. Garnish with rosemary sprigs if desired.
   
   

Notes

Be careful when turning the fish as they can be very fragile.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 379mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 18gProtein: 19g

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I hope you’ll give this recipe a try over the holidays and let me know how you like it!

Do you have any holiday food traditions?