Spanish-Style Cod With Chickpeas & Peppers

Name: Spanish-Style Cod With Chickpeas & Peppers
Prep time: 30

5 out of 5 stars (based on 19 reviews)

30 min prep

6 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

13 ingredients

I love the cuisine of Spain. Spanish cooking has its roots in Morocco, and thanks to the roving Spaniards who came to the New World to find riches, elements of this way of cooking have...

2½ pound cod fillet, cut into 6 pieces
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon, divided
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
3 ounce piece of chorizo, diced or 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika (see Ann’s tips)
1 large Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
3 ripe tomatoes, diced or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

380 cals

Fat

10 g

Saturated Fat

1 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

3 g

Monounsaturated Fat

4 g

Carbohydrates

34 g

Sugar

10 g

Fiber

13 g

Protein

42 g

Sodium

290 mg

Directions

Pat fish dry and rub with ground cumin. Place in a large bowl with ½ of the lemon juice. Mix well and marinate for 30 minutes.
Dissolve the saffron threads in ¼ cup boiling water, set aside
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds let them sizzle for a few minutes until they become fragrant, then add the garlic and cook until it starts to color. Add the chorizo, onions, peppers and bay leaves. Sauté until they start to soften. Sprinkle with salt, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Sweat for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft, and the onions are a pale gold.
Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the tomatoes and diluted saffron. Cook until the tomatoes have lost most of their liquid. Add the chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 5-8 minutes.
Lay the fish on top of the vegetables. Cover. Bring to a boil then cook at a simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining lemon juice. Cook 2 minutes more, turn off the heat and leave fish to steam for 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chef Tips

If you don’t want to use chorizo, you can use smoked paprika instead. Here’s how: at the end of step 3, sprinkle the vegetables with the smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute over a medium high heat before adding the tomatoes.

When buying cod filet, ask the fishmonger to cut your buy from the thicker head end of the fillet so that the fish is of even thickness and cooks evenly. You can ask him to cut it into 6 pieces for you too.

Saffron has to be hand harvested and as a result, both the threads and powder are very expensive. It gives wonderful flavor to fish stews like this one, so if you can spring for it, do so, knowing that a little goes a long way.

Registered Dietitian Approved

Our recipes, articles, and videos are reviewed by our oncology-trained dietitians to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society