Cod with Sautéed Radish & Green Beans
The green beans cook twice. First a seven-minute boil to soften them from frozen, then straight into a hot skillet with radish wedges, red onion rings, and crushed garlic. That second pass in olive oil turns them from plain steamed vegetables into something with golden edges and actual bite.
On the other tray, a cod fillet brushed with pesto shares oven space with halved baby potatoes at 180°C. Fifteen minutes, one baking sheet, zero supervision. The pesto does most of the flavor work — five grams is enough to give the fish a thin herbed crust without drowning the cod underneath.
27 grams of protein from the cod, 14 grams of fiber mostly from that generous pile of green beans, and 400 calories for the full plate.
The green beans cook twice. First a seven-minute boil to soften them from frozen, then straight into a hot skillet with radish wedges, red onion rings, and crushed garlic. That second pass in olive oil turns them from plain steamed vegetables into something with golden edges and actual bite.
On the other tray, a cod fillet brushed with pesto shares oven space with halved baby potatoes at 180°C. Fifteen minutes, one baking sheet, zero supervision. The pesto does most of the flavor work — five grams is enough to give the fish a thin herbed crust without drowning the cod underneath.
27 grams of protein from the cod, 14 grams of fiber mostly from that generous pile of green beans, and 400 calories for the full plate.
Ingredients
- baby potatoes 0.25 pound
- cod fillet (frozen) 1 piece
- pesto 1 teaspoon
- green beans (frozen) 2 cups
- radishes 4 piece
- red onion 0.5 piece
- garlic 1 clove
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
Method
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
-
Cut the small baby potatoes in half and quarter the larger ones.
-
Place the cod fillet on a greased baking sheet. Brush the cod with pesto and surround it with the baby potatoes. Bake the fish and potatoes in the oven for about 15 minutes until cooked through.
-
Boil the green beans until they’re al dente in about 7 minutes.
-
Cut the radishes into wedges and slice the onion into thin rings. Crush or mince the garlic.
-
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the green beans, radishes, onion and garlic together until they are golden brown and cooked in about 3 minutes.
-
Serve the fish alongside the baby potatoes and sautéed vegetables.
If your cod fillet is still frozen solid, give it five extra minutes in the oven. The pesto crust tells you when the fish is done — it shifts from bright green to golden at the edges.
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh green beans instead of frozen?
Yes. Fresh green beans are denser and take longer to soften, so boil them for about four to five minutes instead of seven. The sauté step stays the same — three minutes in the hot skillet.
Why boil the green beans before sautéing them?
Frozen green beans are too firm to cook through in a three-minute sauté alone. The boil softens them first. The sauté step adds caramelization, golden color, and a texture that boiled beans alone never develop.
Does this recipe work with another white fish?
Any firm white fish works — haddock, pollock, or tilapia all bake well at 180°C with pesto. Thinner fillets may need two to three fewer minutes in the oven. Protein and fat numbers change with the fish.
