A Simple Cod Dinner With Roasted Root Vegetables

Sometimes, my breath is taken away by how genuinely beautiful the simplest of meals can be. This is one of those meals. It’s unfussy, clean flavors need little more than a drizzle of olive oil, a few pinches of salt and a light sprinkling of parsley for their natural goodness to shine through.

Eating with your eyes

I was raised by parents who valued the visual beauty of the meals they put in front of us as much as the flavor of the food itself. Most of the time we weren’t eating anything fancy- comfort foods like meatloaf or crispy baked chicken & macaroni and cheese were staples- but my mom was really good at making sure there was color and balance on our plates. She never served a “beige meal” (her words) and garnished almost everything with a sprig of parsley or fresh mint. And there were always fresh, colorful vegetables. This was long before people were snapping pictures of their meals and posting them to social media.

She didn’t make beautiful food so strangers could admire her skills- she did it because cooking wasn’t a chore to her- it was an expression of her creativity and her love language- cooking was her art.

I’m forever grateful to my parents for teaching me at a young age to eat not just to nourish my body, but to feed my soul in the process. To appreciate the beauty in something that’s fleeting is what mindfulness is about. And when I sit down to a meal like this – as simple as it is- I feel “present”.

Fresh, Quality Ingredients

Some things are just naturally easy, simple and delicious. This meal is one of those things. Fresh, quality ingredients don’t need much fussing over. This meal is so simple that we actually had it for lunch in the middle of the week. The cod was intended for fish tacos that night but I was craving something fresh and bright for lunch, I didn’t want a sandwich and my salad options were slim. Eric & I both work from home, so why not?

I also had these beautiful carrots that I’ve become somewhat obsessed with lately. I’m a sucker for young carrots that still have their tops attached and cherry tomatoes still on the stem. I think it’s because their stems and tops remind me of where they came from- that they weren’t born in a produce department.

In the middle of winter, when we spend so much time inside, they make me feel connected to the world outside.

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Two Sheet Pans & 30 Minutes

This is less a recipe and more a method that allows the clean flavors and contrasting textures of fresh ingredients to shine through. It’s intentionally simple and the amounts are intentionally vague.

Sometimes I just crave simplicity. Sometimes I crave something more. Let your taste guide you and add other flavors if you’re feeling them (garlic, sumac, chipotle dressing…). Maybe sprinkle with a little citrus salt just before serving. That’s why we cook- to create food that reflects who we are 🙂

Here’s what you do

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and get out two sheet pans
• Young carrots don’t need peeled, scrub them with a vegetable brush and trim the tops (you can completely remove the tops, but I love the way it looks when there’s still some attached)
• Arrange carrots (I also have parsley root here, prep the same way as the carrots, if using) on lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil & sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked pepper
• Place vegetables in preheated oven and roast 20 minutes, checking halfway through and shaking pan to turn them
• While carrots roast, place fish and cherry tomatoes on 2nd sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with kosher salt, cracked pepper, Old Bay and a sprinkling of fresh, chopped parsley
• When carrots are done, place on stove top and cover to keep warm, preheat broiler, place fish and tomatoes 5-6″ from heat and broil for 5 minutes

That’s it. Beautiful Food. 30 Minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges.

On a pretty plate.

And don’t forget to breathe 🙂