One-pan cod and rice
Tender cod steamed right on top of smoky, tomato-flecked rice with peas, so the fish and the side finish together in one pan.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $5.58 a serving
- 490 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¼ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz, with the juice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cod fillets, about 6 oz each, thawed if frozen
- 1 lemon, zested, then cut into wedges
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 490 calories, 38 g protein, 63 g carbs and 9 g fat, and costs about $5.58 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No cod fillets? Tilapia fillets work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No frozen peas? Frozen mixed vegetables work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Heat the oil in a large deep with a tight lid over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, until soft, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Add the rice and smoked paprika and for 1 minute, until the rice is coated.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Pour in the tomatoes with their juice, the broth and 1 teaspoon of the salt and .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and for 12 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 12 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep the lid on. The rice needs all that trapped steam.Meanwhile, the cod dry and with the rest of the salt, the pepper and the lemon .
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.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Scatter the peas over the rice, lay the cod on top, cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes more, until the rice is tender and the fish flakes easily.
Low heatTimer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Lift the lid only once, near the end. Each peek lets out the steam that cooks the fish.Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Take the pan off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Timer: 5 min
Scatter the parsley over and serve with the lemon wedges.
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.
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