Baked Cod

Im really glad that I got over my little idea that anything that swims tastes gross because some of my favorite dishes are variations of fish now.  My favorite fish to make at home is a recipe from my friend Michelle, its a tilapia on a bed of cajun rice with mango salsa...dont worry, I'll post it as soon as mangoes are in season!  My favorite salmon is at Raccoon River brewery and has squash and zucchini as well as gnocchi and a lemon dill sauce....mmmmmmmm!  Anyway, besides fish being mighty tasty, its pretty flipping good for you too...which makes it top my list when we head out to eat too.  Read: sushi is my number one favorite going out to eat destination (Waterfront to be specific but I'll take down any sushi you want to throw at me).  Last night I decided to try a new recipe with a couple of lbs of cod that I had lying around.  Actually, I had bought it for a different recipe and then I couldnt find it for 2 weeks or so....so I found a new cod recipe and used it for that.  Im sure since I made it last night the original recipe will show up today sometime, that's just the way I roll.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have my boot camp class, I have a 20 minute gap at home to change clothes and get ready to hit the road to Des Moines.  I like to make dinners on those nights that I can throw together and leave out for Justin to put in the oven 15 minutes before I get home from class since I am usually famished after the feeling of passing out fades away.  Last night was a very simple meal but it was pretty tasty if you like cod.  If you've never had it, cod is a lot like tilapia, a whitefish with not much fishy taste to it.  The recipe I found quickly online was called (the main reason this was the one I chose was I had all these spices at home and didnt have to make a trip to the store):

Baked Spicy Cod

1 lb cod fillets (I had 2 so I just doubled everything)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 T lemon juice
1 T melted margarine (optional...I used 1 T instead of doubling to 2 T)

Preheat oven to 350, place fish in greased (I use fat free pam nonstick stuff) baking pan.  Combine all the spices together, sprinkle lemon juice and margarine on top of fish, finish with sprinkling spice mixture evenly on top.  Bake until fish flakes evenly, which was about 25-30 minutes in our oven.  I covered with tin foil and left it for Justin to throw in about a half hour after I left.....here's what it looked like before it was cooked:

Fish alone isnt going to cut it so I had asparagus in the steamer with instructions for him to start it 10 minutes before the fish was done:

Now for my secret weapon.  These little Uncle Ben's rice packets are the shizz, seriously the best thing ever invented!  There are a million different variations, I used cajun style to give the fish some kick and you throw it in the microwave for 90 seconds to have a nice little bed of perfectly cooked and spiced rice for your cod.  I use these things all the time, the whole grain medley is one of my favorites for smothered pork chops or smothered chicken breasts (we'll get to those recipes soon, super easy).

Since I made so much fish we had our kid over for dinner as well.  My friend Curt moved to Granger and would eat gas station food 24/7 if I didnt give him some sustenance so the 2 lbs of cod, one bag of rice, and one bundle of asparagus was a perfect portion for 3 people (2 being big eating boys).  Best part about it, dinner was done and ready to be served when I walked in the door from the gym with little preparation (10 minutes tops), as well as a dude who can turn the oven and steamer on while you're away (get yourself one of those if you dont have one, mine's taken). Now you've got baked spicy cod on a bed of cajun rice with steamed asparagus for dinner....dig in!