My favorite way to cook cod is to poach it in a flavorful liquid. This version poaches the cod with beans in a bright green kale sauce thickened with pumpkin seeds and infused with garlic oil. Once the cod is perfectly flaky, you remove it from the skillet and stir salty parmesan into the mix. Finish it off with a bit more parm, pepper, a good drizzle of olive oil, and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Ingredient highlight
Kale! This popular leafy green is rich in calcium, iron, vitamin K, and vitamin C, to name a few. When eating it raw, it’s always best to massage it with some oil and salt to make the texture less fibrous and more pleasant.
Servings 4
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 1 large (6-8 oz) bunch kale, stems removed (lacinato kale is best)
- 1 cup water, divided
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil and/or butter
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 lb cod or (other white flaky fish)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Lemon wedges
- Bulk it up! ~ Serve with a thick slice of crusty (buttered) bread, a scoop of rice, or any grain of choice. Put a fried egg or two on top.
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add the kale and ½ cup water. Cover with a lid and simmer over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the kale has wilted down.
- Transfer the kale and liquid to the blender (scrape out every last bit!) along with the pumpkin seeds and remaining ½ cup water. Blend until smooth, making sure to allow steam to escape, about 1 minute.
- In the same skillet over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using). Once the garlic starts to sizzle, cook for 1-2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring often.
- Stir in the beans and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 30 seconds, stirring often. Turn off the heat and stir in the kale sauce. If the sauce looks too thick, add another ¼ cup water. You want the sauce to be more water-y than thick (it will thicken as it simmers).
- Season fish on one side with about ¼ teaspoon salt, then nestle it into the liquid (salted-side-down) so it’s mostly or totally submerged. Season the tops with another ¼ teaspoon salt (don’t worry if the tops are submerged, just sprinkle the salt on top).
- Cover with a lid, turn the heat to high to bring it to a rapid simmer, then reduce the heat to low or medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Give the pan a gentle shake halfway through. If using very thick fish, flip it halfway through the cook time. If your fish is very thin, it might take as little as 6 minutes to cook through, so use your judgement! You can always continue to simmer and add more water, if needed.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the fish to a plate. Stir the parm into the skillet.
- To serve, scoop the beans/kale sauce into your bowl and top with fish. Sprinkle more parm over top along with some black pepper, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Remove the stems from 1 large bunch kale
- Steam the kale and blend up the kale sauce.
- Thinly slice 2 cloves garlic
- Grate ½ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, add another can of beans in place of the fish. Simply simmer them in the liquid and add water as needed. Be sure to taste and season with more salt, if needed. Serve topped with a couple of fried eggs and toast.
- To make vegan, see above + replace parm with nutritional yeast or simply leave it out and add a dash of soy sauce.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftovers gently in the microwave until just warmed through. If the kale sauce has thickened (which it likely will) just stir in some water to thin it out. Top with all the toppings.
- Serve with crusty bread!
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