What is the perfect summer evening meal? Today I am thinking it is lemon zest cod with a scoop full of my favorite summer roasted veggies mixed in with some perfectly fluffed quinoa…oh yeaaaaaa! Now that’s what I’m talkin about! You guys and gals out there…I hope you aren’t intimidated with fish. A few simple rules and you will master the art of cooking fish. Fish isn’t very forgivable, so it’s kind of annoying in that respect. But with a little practice, and discussion from muah I am going to tell you how to cook some damn good fish tonight if that is what you are feeling for supper. And I think you should be feeling it because lemony cod with some fresh summer veggies go hand in hand in my cookbook.
So, I have a little secret to share…you see that beautiful mix of zucchini, squash, and red peppers. Well those pretty little things come to you from my awesome sister-in-law’s mom. She made this sweet little lemony post possible! So, thanks Deb! 🙂
Roasted veggies in the oven= yum!
Roasted veggies in the oven accompanied with quinoa= YUM YUM!!
The trick to mastering fish is to take it off of stove/oven/grill (however you are cooking it) at the point when you are pondering whether or not it is done, because if you are like me you have probably already let it sit at least an extra minute in hoping it is done.;) So follow along and you will cook up some delicious cod and summer roasted veggies!!
Prep work for this recipe involves some serious veggie chopping but it just gives you a chance to work on your veggie chopping skills! Mine can always you some fine tuning! Once you are done chopping, spread them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and add some basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper and voila! Time to stick those babies in the oven. With those in the oven, more time to get cracking on the quinoa. The food is starting to smell wondrous right about now. And there is no turning back now especially after you chopped all those darn veggies. It is cod and veggies for supper for sure now! But do not fear, just repeat “I’m a cod master” a few times and you will know you got this! 😉
Let’s now cook us up some tasty cod.
Ladies and gents…it is time for the MAIN EVENT!!
When I bought the cod fillet, it was rather large so I decided to cut it up into smaller chunks of fish. It made it easier to cook as well. Although there are few different things to prepare for this meal, the cod just needs coated with the seasoning (garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika) prior to cooking. In a skillet, I melted a little butter using medium-high heat. Once the butter is all melted added the cod and cook for 2 minutes and flip(while also turning heat down to medium), cook another 3-4 minutes and remove from heat! I had some pieces of fish that were pretty thick, and it was all cooked through. Fish should be opaque rather than translucent like when it is raw. The internal temperature should reach 145 degrees. The “wait until it flakes” rule is a little deceiving because in many times, the fish is already overdone by that point. So begin checking the middle of your fish early in the cooking process.
One thing I love about cod is that there isn’t a lot of fishiness (is that a word?) to it. It tastes like fish, but you aren’t tasting it an hour after you eat it. 😉 Also the fact that I did not have to pull any skin off of it once I got it home from the store made me jump for joy! I really love eating fish, but the skin almost always turns me off to it.
So, fancy up your dinner table tonite and cook that hubby or wifey of yours something special…like lemon zest cod and you know maybe some fresh summer veggies with quinoa.
A couple of reasons quinoa has it going on: 1) It is high in protein containing 8 grams of protein per cup and it contains all of the essential amino acids, which is not common for a plant-based protein. 2) It is gluten-free for those of you with gluten intolerance which is awesome because it is easy to incorporate into all kinds of different foods. 3) It is high in fiber as it contains 5 grams of fiber per cup of cooked quinoa.
So, um yeah, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah, not kwin-oa as I like to say) has it going on and you should give it the green light and let this little stuff come into your life because it is just amazingly good.
Lemon Zest Cod with Summer Veggies
Ingredients
For the Roasted Veggies:
- 1 zucchini coarsely chopped
- 1 fennel bulb coarsely chopped
- 2 bell peppers coarsely chopped
- 1/4 red onion coarsely chopped
- 1 squash coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 4-5 basil leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed (some kinds are pre-rinsed so watch for that)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
Cod
- 1-1 1/2 pounds cod
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Parsley
- Cod Seasoning-
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- 1. Veggies-
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine chopped zucchini, fennel bulb, bell peppers, onion, squash, and garlic cloves in a bowl and toss with olive oil, basil, and salt. Spread evenly on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake veggies for 30 minutes, remembering to flip after 15 minutes.
- 2. Quinoa-
- In a small saucepan, heat oil over low heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add quinoa and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
- 3. Cod-
- Combine seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Cut cod into smaller pieces and season all sides of the cod. Heat 2 T of butter in large skillet over medium high heat. When butter has melted add cod to skillet and cook for 2 minutes. Add lemon zest with small shavings of butter over cod. Lower heat to medium and flip cod over and cook another 3-4 minutes. Garnish with parsley and fresh lemon juice if desired.
- Enjoy!
- Recipe adapted from Valentina's Corner
Love,
3 Scoops of Sugar
