Microwave lemon pepper fish with couscous
A flaky white fish fillet steamed with butter and lemon pepper in three minutes, over fluffy couscous with green beans, a light dinner that tastes like more work.
- 20 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $2.49 a serving
- 450 calories
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- ⅓ cup couscous
- ¾ cup frozen green beans
- 5 oz frozen white fish fillets, 1 fillet, thawed
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
From your pantry
- ½ cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch garlic powder
Each serving has about 450 calories, 31 g protein, 52 g carbs and 13 g fat, and costs about $2.49 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the water in the kettle.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Stir the couscous and of salt into the hot water in a bowl, cover with a plate, and leave it 5 minutes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Timer: 5 min
Put the green beans in a shallow microwave-safe dish, cover with a plate, and microwave 1 minute so they thaw.
Timer: 1 min
the fish dry with a paper towel and lay it on top of the green beans.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Dolly’s tip: Forgot to thaw it? Leave the sealed fillet in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.Dot the butter over the fish and sprinkle it with the lemon pepper and garlic powder.
Cover with the plate and microwave 3 minutes, until the fish is white all the way through and flakes when you press it with a fork.
Timer: 3 min
Dolly’s tip: Check the thickest part. If it’s still glassy in the middle, cover it again and give it 30 seconds more.Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Let it sit covered for 1 minute while you fluff the couscous with the fork.
Timer: 1 min
Tip the couscous onto a plate, set the fish and beans on top, and pour the buttery juices from the dish over everything.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
