Moroccan Style Cod

We don’t eat a lot of cod at home, in fact, unless it’s covered in batter and fried, I don’t even think to buy it. However, my local supermarket had some lovely responsibly sourced skinless and boneless cod fillets on offer last time I was in there so I picked some up on a whim and spent the entire drive home trying to figure out what I could do with them. My friend and I were swapping recipes a few weeks ago and I remembered her saying she makes a ratatouille, places fish on top, mozzarella on top of the fish and bakes it in the oven. I think it’s a lovely idea and would definitely work with cod, but I fancied something a bit more aromatic, with a bit of spice. I suddenly remembered the Moroccan seasoning I had in the back of the cupboard at home and the dried cranberries left over from Christmas and came up with this Moroccan inspired dish.

For once, my first attempt at a new recipe worked. Usually it takes a couple of goes to get it right, but this just came together (thanks to the lovely fish and pre-mixed spices). It’s delicious, warming without being spicy and really easy to make. I haven’t added any sugars, salts or fats into this dish, just a bit of olive oil to stop the veg sticking to the pan and the fish and pulses are really good sources of iron, so it’s healthy too.

Ready in 45 mins (10 mins prep, 10 mins on the hob, 25 mins in the oven) – serves 2.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed then chopped finely
• 2 heaped tablespoons of Moroccan spice mix (you’ll find this with the dried herbs and spices in the supermarket)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 50g of couscous, rinsed
• 50g of fresh spinach
• 25g of dried cranberries
• 2 skinless and boneless cod fillets
• A pinch of black pepper
• 1 handful of chopped fresh parsley

Method

• Preheat oven to 220c / 200c fan / gas mark 7.
• Put a pan on the hob over a medium/high heat and add the oil, onion and pepper.
• Cook for 2 mins then add the garlic and the spice mix. – Pic 1
• Mix well allowing the spices to sizzle for 2 mins.
• Turn the heat down to medium and add the lemon juice, tomatoes, puree, chickpeas and couscous. – Pic 2
• Half fill the empty tin of chopped tomatoes with cold water and swill it round to get every last bit of tomato flavour and add to the pan.
• When everything is hot and bubbling away nicely, add the spinach and cranberries. – Pic 3
• Once the spinach has wilted, transfer to an oven proof dish and place the cod fillets on top. – Pic 4
• Sprinkle the black pepper and half the parsley on top of the fish, cover and bake in the oven for 25 mins.
• Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top and serve. – Pic 5