Sweet and Spicy Cod, aka Yum!!

Beth Rosen, RD sweet spicy cod

When I find a recipe, or create a recipe, that I love, I tend to make it often.  And by often, I mean weekly until my family is so sick of it that it must leave the menu rotation for at least six months.  We eat a lot of cod in my house, mostly because it’s not “fishy,” I can get it wild-caught and fresh, and I can buy a filet or a loin cut and change it up often.  I have shared a few cod recipes already like this one and this one, but I needed a fresh idea before I was banned from serving cod.  I thought about using the marinade that my Uncle Jeff makes for salmon, but then I was inspired by my uncle and came up with something new.  You see, Uncle Jeff isn’t just known for his killer salmon dish, he is also known for his tree-tapping skills and making some killer maple syrup.

Beth Rosen, RD sweet spicy cod yum

My daughter helping Uncle Jeff collect sap back in 2012

Beth Rosen, RD sweet spicy cod yum

My kids got to taste sap right from the tree!

This is the first year in a long time where he has taken the year off from tree-tapping and syrup-making, much to the dismay of my kids.  He does have a stash of last year’s batch that he shares with us freely, but my kids treat it like liquid gold and do their best not to waste a drop.  With their love of Uncle Jeff’s maple syrup in mind, I created yet another delicious marinade for cod.  That sounds a bit conceited, but my son walked into the kitchen while the fish was in the oven, and said, “It smells so good in here!” so I am not the only one who thought it was good :-)  And being the selfless (conceited but selfless) person that I am, I will share the recipe with you.

Sweet and Spicy Cod

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds cod filets

1/4 cup Uncle Jeff’s (or real, not corn syrup) maple syrup

1/4 rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sriracha

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp olive oil

All the ingredients, really!

All the ingredients, really!

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with tin foil.  Place all of the ingredients except for the cod into a gallon-size zipper plastic bag, seal and give a few squeezes to mix everything together.

All ingredients in the bag!

All ingredients in the bag!

Place the fish filets into the bag, press all of the air out and gently move the bag in your hands to spread the marinade over and under the fish.  Set on the counter for 30 minutes to marinate.  After 30 minutes, remove the fish from the bag and place on the baking sheet.  Discard the bag with the marinade.  Bake the fish for 10 minutes.

The cod marinating in the bag.

The cod marinating in the bag.

Sweet and Spicy Cod right out of the oven - yum!

Sweet and Spicy Cod right out of the oven – yum!

And that’s all there is to a delicious fish that’s a little sweet and just the right amount of spicy.  Feel free to adjust how much sriracha you use, but the amount in this recipe is very light, so don’t be afraid to try it my way first.

On this night, I served it over spinach and served sweet potatoes on the side.  There were absolutely no leftovers, and you know what that means:  Cod stays on the dinner menu for the next six months!  Tell me, what will you serve with your Sweet and Spicy Cod?

Dinner is done!

Dinner is done!

xo

B

 

 

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Beth Rosen

Eating Attitudes™ & Gut Expert

Beth Rosen, MS, RD, CDN is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Beth Rosen Nutrition. She practices a non-diet philosophy and is a Health at Every Size" practitioner. Her goal is to end the pain of diet culture, one person at a time. Beth's techniques and programs empower chronic dieters, and those who consider themselves emotional and /or stress eaters, to ditch the vicious cycle of dieting, eat fearlessly by removing Food and diet rules, and mend their relationship with food and their bodies. Beth's works face-to-face with clients in Southbury, CT, and virtually with clients, worldwide.

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