Coconutty Cod in a Creamy Sea of Veg

Submitted by: Nancy Harvey

Servings: 4

Ingredients: Creamy Sea of Veg
1T coconut oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/8 t chipotle powder*
1/8 t cumin powder*
1 small butternut squash, grated (about 4-5 cups)
1 large bunch of kale, stem removed and chopped (about 5 cups)
½ cup chicken (or veggie) stock**
1 can of coconut milk (full fat, naturally)

Coconutty Cod
1 ½ lbs. wild-caught Alaskan cod fillet*** portioned into 4 servings
¾ cup coconut flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2-3T coconut oil

Instructions: For the Creamy Sea of Veg
Heat coconut oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté shallots (seasoned with salt and pepper) for a few minutes. Add garlic and spices, sautéing till shallots are softened, then add squash. After a few minutes, stir in kale and stock. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer while preparing fish. After about 10 minutes, add coconut milk, taste for seasoning, and adjust. Keep simmering until fish is done, stirring occasionally.

For the Coconutty Cod
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a dredging station: 1 shallow bowl each for flour, egg, and coconut. Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Dredge each fillet first in flour, then in egg, then in coconut. Be sure to press the coconut on firmly, but gently. Meanwhile heat a large, oven-proof sauté pan to medium-high, melting 3T coconut oil.

Place fillets in hot oil and brown one side (this will happen quickly, so don’t get distracted mixing a holiday cocktail). About 2 minutes after flipping to the other side, place pan in preheated oven to finish cooking. Depending on the thickness of your fillets, this could take anywhere from about 3 minutes to 8 minutes. My motto is you can always cook it more, but you can’t uncook it … so error on taking it out early. You decide how done you like it … personally, I like it moist and fall-apart flaky.

Swimming Happily Together
To serve, spoon sea of veggies into a shallow bowl, top with one cod fillet. Garnish with fine threads of raw kale (cilantro would also be yummy) and a dusting of shredded coconut.

Notes: This dish was inspired by what was in my refrigerator on a weeknight. My friend’s Fall garden has been bursting with kale (and thus so has my fridge); I had a big chunk of butternut squash already peeled leftover that I didn’t use the another night; and the cod needed to be cooked (had on hand for no special reason except it was in season and on sale).

* I like Penzy’s chipotle powder. A little goes a long way though. This measurement is a guesstimate; I shook the jar a few times. With how hot this spice can be, error on doing too little, taste it after a few, then adjust to your liking. Same goes for the cumin (although not spicy, it can overwhelm a dish if you use too much. If you don’t have chipotle powder, use your favorite chili powder or curry powder. And if you don’t like spicy, just omit.

** I always have “ice cubes” of homemade chicken stock in my freezer. So for this, I put in 4 cubes. If using store-bought, pour in a little to give veggies some moisture, then after adding coconut milk, add more if you want the consistency a little thinner.

*** Any firm in-season, wild-caught white fish will work great here. Halibut would be a delicious splurge for the holidays.

Robb Wolf

Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat, is a former research biochemist and one of the world’s leading experts in Paleolithic nutrition. Wolf has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast and wildly popular seminar series.