Baby Potatoes with Cod, Leek & Curry
Most fish recipes try to keep the fillet in one piece. This one does the opposite. The cod goes into a curried leek sauce made creamy with reduced-fat cream cheese, and when it breaks apart, that’s the point. The fish flakes through the sauce until you can’t separate one from the other.
The sauce takes about five minutes. Leek stir-fried with curry powder, a spoonful of cream cheese stirred in, then the cod folded through. Baby potatoes boiled alongside give you something starchy to drag through whatever pools at the bottom of the plate.
535 kcal with 25g of protein and 43g of carbs from six ingredients. Dinner in fifteen minutes.
Most fish recipes try to keep the fillet in one piece. This one does the opposite. The cod goes into a curried leek sauce made creamy with reduced-fat cream cheese, and when it breaks apart, that’s the point. The fish flakes through the sauce until you can’t separate one from the other.
The sauce takes about five minutes. Leek stir-fried with curry powder, a spoonful of cream cheese stirred in, then the cod folded through. Baby potatoes boiled alongside give you something starchy to drag through whatever pools at the bottom of the plate.
535 kcal with 25g of protein and 43g of carbs from six ingredients. Dinner in fifteen minutes.
Ingredients
- cod fillet (frozen) 1 fillet
- leek 1
- baby potatoes 0.5 pound
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- curry powder 1 teaspoon
- cream cheese, reduced fat 1.5 tablespoon
Method
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Allow the cod to defrost.
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Cut the leek in half lengthwise and slice it into half rings. Wash the rings in a colander with cold water and let them drain well.
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Halve the baby potatoes and cook them in a pot of water for 8-10 minutes until done.
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Heat half of the oil in a pan and fry the cod for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Then remove the cod from the pan and place it on a plate for a moment.
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Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and stir-fry the leek with curry powder for 4 minutes. Next, mix the cream cheese into the leek and heat for an additional minute. Finally, stir the cod into the leek (it's okay if the cod breaks apart).
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Serve the baby potatoes with the leek and cod. Season with salt and pepper.
The curry powder toasts directly in the oil with the leek for the full four minutes before the cream cheese goes in. That time in hot fat is what turns raw spice powder into a deep, warm flavor through the entire sauce. Cut it short, and the curry tastes dusty instead of rich.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh cod instead of frozen?
Fresh cod works the same way. The recipe starts with frozen because it is cheaper and available year-round. Either way, pat the fillet dry before frying. Excess moisture steams the fish instead of searing it, and you lose the light crust that holds the cod together when you stir it into the sauce.
Is 25g of protein enough for one meal?
A common belief says your body caps out at around 30g of protein per meal, but research on per-meal protein limits challenges that ceiling. Studies found the body continues building and repairing muscle tissue well beyond that number. This recipe's 25g from cod lands within a well-studied range. If you want more, a side of Greek yogurt bumps the total without changing the dish.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I swap the cream cheese for something else?
Full-fat coconut milk or a tablespoon of Greek yogurt both work. The cream cheese is there for body — it thickens the curry-leek sauce without adding much liquid. Coconut milk shifts the flavor toward Thai, yogurt keeps it more neutral. Stir either in at the end so it does not split from the heat.
