Lemon-Garlic Baked Cod With Quinoa

Active time: 20 minutes Total time: 30 minutes 4 servings

This quick, nutritious fish dish from “The Wellness Principles” cookbook comes together so quickly, you’ll have plenty of time to steam or pan-fry vegetables or make a big salad to go alongside it. Here, we added tri-color quinoa to the plate. Cod, a white fish, doesn’t have as much omega-3 fatty acids as salmon, but it is readily available and a good source of quality protein, says cookbook author Gary Deng.

Storage notes: Refrigerate the cod for up to 2 days; the quinoa for up to 4 days.

1/4 teaspoon freshly

ground black pepper 1 lemon

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced or

grated

Pinch of sweet paprika Pinch of cayenne pepper

(optional)

For the quinoa: 11⁄2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, divided 1 cup (61⁄2 ounces) uncooked

quinoa, preferably tricolor For the cod: 4 (11⁄2-inch thick) skinless cod filets (5 to 6 ounces each), thawed if frozen 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 11⁄2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. (If the quinoa is still wet, uncover, increase the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.) Remove from the heat and keep covered.

While the quinoa is cooking, pat the cod dry, then sprinkle with the cornstarch, the remaining salt and the black pepper.

Slice the lemon in half. Juice half and slice the other half into 4 wedges.

In a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, or one of a similar size so that all of the fillets can fit in one layer with some space in between, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

Add the fish and turn to coat in the olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with the paprika and cayenne, if using. Scoop up some of the garlic and spoon it on top of the fish.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the oven.

To serve, mound the quinoa on each plate, top with a fish fillet, spoon some of the pan juices over the quinoa and fish, and add a lemon wedge.

Nutrition information per serving (1 fish fillet, 3/4 cup quinoa, about 2 tablespoons sauce) | Calories: 555; Total Fat: 32 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 61 mg; Sodium: 374 mg; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 0 g; Protein: 32 g

Adapted from “The Wellness Principles” by Gary Deng (Phaidon, 2022).