The “leftover” cod to which I alluded in a previous post was the result of beginning-of-term course preparation frenzy (always happens no matter how well I think that I’ve planned).  It was an OMG-I’m-starving-what-have-I-got-in-the-fridge, what-can-I-put-into-the-oven-so-I-don’t-have-to-watch-it, panic situation.

cod & vegetables ready for oven

I had the cod fillet, but I was really pressed for time.  After madly rummaging in the vegetable crisper, and came up with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, lemons, and onions.  The cabbage got cut into bite-size pieces, the carrots and potatoes sliced into about 3 mm (1/8-inch) pieces.  I tossed the cabbage and very thinly sliced onions with some extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.  I gave the carrots and the potatoes the same treatment, threw in one of the few herb mixes that I keep on hand–herbes de Provence (my go-to in panic mode), some red pepper flakes put the fillet on top, plopped some lemon slices in, covered it, and stuck it in the partially preheated 325°F oven for about 45 minutes since it was a very thick cod fillet–and set a timer! (Since there were lemon slices, and the cabbage was still damp from rinsing, the cover for this baking dish fit very well, and I knew there would be a bit of liquid from the fish, I didn’t add any water.)

one-dish meal

When the timer went off I went back to see what I had–the thinly sliced carrots and small red potatoes were tender, the cabbage was tender but still slightly crisp, and the fish flaked nicely–success on the fly!  If you don’t like a little crunch with your cabbage, you might remove the heavier ribs.

Good results for minimal effort, and a really healthy meal.  The lemon and extra-virgin olive oil complemented all the veggies and the fish.  The red chili pepper flakes spiced things up just a little.  Yes, pretty simple, but tasty.  Good food doesn’t have to be complicated if you have good things to start with.