Spicy cod with chickpeas and spinach

Succulent chunks of creamy cod, gently cooked in an aromatic, slightly spicy sauce with a colourful mix of vegetables and chickpeas, makes a satisfying, nutrient-rich meal. If you like, serve with French bread.

Servings Prep Time Cook Time
4servings 20minutes 20minutes
Servings Prep Time
4servings 20minutes
Cook Time
20minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the onion, chili pepper, carrots, celery, ginger, garlic and cardamom seeds. Stir well, then cover the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are slightly softened.
  2. Stir in the turmeric, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Add the chickpeas, followed by the tomatoes, peas and fish. Mix in gently, taking care not to break up the fish. Bring back to a simmer. When the stock is bubbling gently, pile the spinach on top, there's no need to stir it in and cover the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chunks of fish are white and firm, and the spinach has just wilted.
  4. Use a fork to combine the spinach gently with the fish and vegetables. Ladle the mixture into shallow bowls and serve at once.
Recipe Notes

Variations: Other white fish or salmon steak can be used instead of the cod. With salmon, try using white kidney beans in place of the chickpeas. For a vegetarian meal, replace the fish with either 8 halved, hard-boiled eggs (add at the end of cooking and heat through gently), or a 398 ml can each of red kidney and pinto beans, drained and rinsed (add with the chickpeas). Use vegetable stock for either option.

Each serving: 38.5 g protein, 12 g fat of which 1.5 g saturates, 23.5 g carbohydrate, 12.5 g fibre, 380 Calories