Menu Idea: Steamed Cod With Ginger & Scallions, Asian Slaw & Simple Chinese Noodles

I know some of you are afraid to cook fish at home.  I’m not really sure where this comes from, because aside from the fact that you need to buy it day-of cooking (in most cases), I find fish to be a quick and easy answer to the “what’s for dinner?” question.

In our house, we eat a lot of cod.  I know, I know, cod has historically been  over fished, but it’s the only fish that we all consistently agree on.  My daughter won’t eat any of the greens associated with a fish recipe, but she’ll often eat some of the cod itself, along with her ever-present noodles.

Here’s a staple recipe from our house, along with ideas for sides.  It’s a very fast menu to pull together – about 30 minutes from counter to table.

Steamed Cod With Ginger & Scallions

In a large skillet, combine 3 T. rice vinegar, 2 T. low-sodium soy sauce and 2 T. bottled minced ginger.  Season both sides of 4 skinless cod fillets (6-8 oz. each) with Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper.  Place the fillets in the skillet with the vinegar mixture, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until fish is almost opaque, approximately 6 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the green parts of 4-6 scallions into 3-inch lengths, then thinly slice them length-wise.  Scatter over the fish, and cook, covered, until the fish flakes easily and the scallions are just wilted, approximately 3 minutes more. 

Serves 4.

Asian Slaw

Combine 4 t. rice vinegar, 1 t. bottled minced ginger, 2 T. toasted sesame oil, 2 T. vegetable oil and 2 t. low-sodium soy sauce and toss it with pre-bagged coleslaw mix.  Use as much slaw as you think you’ll need to make generous side-servings (we love this stuff, and so I use about 3/4 lb.!).  Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Simple Noodles

These are my daughter’s #1 favorite comfort food.  Prepare a package of wide Chinese wheat-flour noodles (the ones made without egg) according to package directions and toss them with a bit of toasted sesame oil and some low-sodium soy sauce.

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