Ingredients
- 2 sustainable cod, hake or pollock fillets (about 140 g each), skin on
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 100 ml vegetable or fish stock
- 2 large handfuls of spinach
- A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Soften: heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wide pan and cook the shallot gently for 4 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.Lighter option: soften the vegetables in a few tablespoons of water or stock instead of oil, adding a splash more whenever the pan starts to look dry. Each tablespoon of oil you leave out saves around 120 calories, and most people find the dish tastes just as good.
- Make the bed: add the tomatoes and cook for 3–4 minutes until they start to collapse. Add the beans and stock and simmer for 5 minutes, crushing a few beans with a spoon to thicken. Stir in the spinach until wilted, then the lemon zest and juice. Season and keep warm.
- Sear the cod: pat the fish very dry and season. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook skin side down for 4 minutes without moving it, until golden and crisp, then turn and cook for 1–2 minutes more, until the flesh just flakes.
- Serve: spoon the beans into warm shallow bowls, sit the cod on top and scatter with parsley.
Why it's good for you: Cod is a lean source of protein, iodine and selenium, which the thyroid relies on. Cannellini beans add fibre, iron and slow-releasing carbohydrate, and spinach and tomatoes bring folate, vitamin C and lycopene, so this is a light dish that still keeps you full.
Good to know: Choose MSC-certified cod, hake or pollock where you can.
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