30 Minute Meals
Coconut Milk Poached Cod with Tomato, Garlic and Spinach
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Prep
15 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Yield
4
This delicious Poached Cod recipe takes delicate cod and poaches it slowly in a creamy broth and coconut milk base. Served with orzo, this dish is absolutely devine.
This yummy Poached Cod recipe takes fresh cod and makes it into a yummy broth with baby tomatoes, creamy coconut milk, and orzo. This recipe is not only healthy but it also tastes so flavorful. This recipe is a great meal for a dinner party or family dinner. It can be made up in only 40 minutes and tastes gourmet.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love Poached Cod
- Healthy: Cod is a mild-tasting fish that is versatile and good for you. It is low in fat, and high in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Flavorful: What I love about this Poached Cod recipe is how full of flavor it is. It has the creaminess of coconut milk, freshness from the baby tomatoes, and a kick of flavor from the seasoning like turmeric.
- Easy: The most important thing about this Poached Cod recipe is how easy it is. You can have it ready in only 40 minutes but it tastes gourmet.
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🍲 Ingredients
Cod – Cod is a very approachable fish because it’s versatile and mild tasting. Cod is also low in calories and fat, and is loaded with omega-3 which is great for your heart health. If you can’t find cod, you can swap it for another mild-tasting fish like halibut or tilapia.
Turmeric – Turmeric helps give this recipe a beautiful yellow color. Turmeric also is a super spice. It has anti-inflammatory benefits and can help keep your heart, brain, and immune system healthy.
👩🍳 How to Make Poached Cod
- Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling water to al dente, drain and add back to the pot with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Season the cod filets with salt on both sides and set aside on a plate.
- To a high-sided frying pan add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and baby tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to burst, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, chili flakes, ground turmeric and ground paprika. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the coconut milk, fish stock, lemon juice, lemon zest, capers and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then turn to low, keeping at a gentle simmer for 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted and then nestle in the cod filets.
- Cover most of the pan with a lid and cook on low for 5-8 minutes or until the cod is just cooked through, the internal temperature is 145F.
- Serve the cod and coconut broth on top of the orzo. Garnish with fresh dill, fresh mint and more chili flakes (if desired).
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🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Herbs: The fresh herbs on top give a freshness and pop of flavor. You can play with kinds of herbs and quantities here.
- Orzo: Orzo is a short pasta noodle that almost looks like a grain of rice. If you don’t love orzo or want to substitute for a gluten-free option, try rice or quinoa.
- Veggies: This Poached Cod recipe has baby tomatoes and spinach, but if you want to add more veggies you can get creative.
🗒 Variations
If you like this Poached Cod recipe, here are some other cod recipes that you may love:
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since orzo will absorb the liquid over time, I’d suggest you store it separately from the rest of the ingredients.
🤔 Common Questions
Poaching is a gentle cooking method where food is submerged in a liquid at a low temperature, just below a simmer. It results in delicate, moist, and flavorful fish.
You can use anything to poach. Milk, coconut milk, broth, or water all work great!
There are so many reasons that poaching is a great way to cook fish. First off, cooking fish low and slow helps it stay tender and moist. By poaching, this also allows the flavors of the fish to come out and marinade so well with the other ingredients.
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Coconut Milk Poached Cod with Tomato, Garlic and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup dry orzo
- 4 cod filets (about 1 – 1.25 lbs of cod total)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 pint baby tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 400 ml can full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup seafood broth or stock
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- zest from one lemon
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- fresh dill and mint for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling water to al dente, drain and add back to the pot with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Season the cod filets with salt on both sides and set aside on a plate.
- To a high sided frying pan add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and baby tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to burst, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, chili flakes, ground turmeric and ground paprika. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the coconut milk, fish stock, lemon juice, lemon zest, capers and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and then turn to low, keeping at a gentle simmer for 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
- Stir in the spinach until wilted and then nestle in the cod filets.
- Cover most of the pan with a lid and cook on low for 5-8 minutes or until the cod is just cooked through, internal temperature is 145F.
- Serve the cod and coconut broth on top of the orzo. Garnish with fresh dill, fresh mint and more chili flakes (if desired).
Video
Notes
- If you can’t find cod, halibut would also work.
- Instead of serving with orzo try rice or quinoa.
- If you don’t have seafood broth / stock, substitute with vegetable or chicken broth.
- If you like this recipe, try our Easy Recipe for Baked Cod (Blue Zone Meal) or our Butter Beans Curry Bake