There is nothing better in my food world than something swimming in tomato sauce, be it pasta, sausage and peppers, or even eggs.
This dish is a twist on the classic Shakshuka, a Middle Eastern dish of eggs simmered in a spicy tomato sauce, often with peppers and onions. (Yes, it’s a lot like huevos rancheros.)
I was all set to make it with eggs but I really wanted to use the cod that had defrosted in the fridge, so that’s just what I did. And, really, you can cook just about anything this way — chicken or turkey breast, pork medallions, even tofu.
Feel free to add whatever vegetables you have on hand. I added a half pound of sliced mushrooms to the mix along with the peppers and onions. Eggplant would be nice, too.
I was keeping the carbs down on dinner so I served it as is, but it would be great served over rice, quinoa or couscous. And if you have some crusty bread on hand, serve up a chunk to sop up all the saucy goodness.
I used a simple jarred marinara sauce so I didn’t have to fiddle with the herbs and spices too much, but you can also use tomato puree.
Cod is a great blank-slate fish, in that it doesn’t compete with the sauce’s flavors like salmon might. Any other sturdy white-fleshed fish would also work. Tilapia might fall apart.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large bell pepper of any color, sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups marinara sauce or tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes (or to taste)
- 4 4-ounce cod fillets
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the pepper, onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and the peppers are softened. Make sure not to overbrown the garlic.
- Lower heat to medium and add the sauce, cumin, paprika, cilantro, and chili flakes. Stir to combine and simmer sauce for around 5 minutes.
- Nestle the cod fillets in the sauce, cover and cook until fish flakes with a fork, around 5-7 minutes.
- Carefully remove the fillets from the pan into 4 shallow pasta bowls and add the sauce around them. Top with parsley.
Notes
Nutrition: Calories 256; Total Fat 8.2g; Saturated Fat 1.4g; Trans Fat 0.0g; Cholesterol 58mg; Sodium 587mg; Potassium 474mg; Total Carbohydrates 22.8g; Dietary Fiber 4.7g; Sugars 13.3g; Protein 23.4g