Roasted Garlic and Herb Cod

If you came to this way of eating from years without much seafood, cod is a gentle place to start. It is mild, it cooks in under 20 minutes, and a generous herb rub gives you all the flavor without anything sharp or fishy to push through. Learning to cook fish well is one of the quietly useful skills of this protocol, and this recipe is built to make the first tries easy. Real food, fast, on a night you do not have much left to give.

Whitefish like cod is real nourishment on this plate. It is a source of lean protein your body uses for repair, and it is a source of selenium, a mineral involved in thyroid hormone conversion and antioxidant defense, both of which matter when you are working an Autoimmune condition toward Remission. The seasoning is all leaves and alliums, parsley, oregano, basil, ginger, with no seed-spices.

A fish gave its life for this meal, so source it from waters and suppliers you trust, and waste little. Lay the fillets out, finish them with a squeeze of lemon, set them beside something bright, and take a breath before you eat. The beauty of the plate is not separate from the nourishment.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder (omit for low-FODMAP)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (omit for low-FODMAP)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pound cod or any whitefish
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (omit for interstitial cystitis)

For a low-FODMAP plate, leave out the onion and garlic powder; the herbs and ginger still season the fish well. For interstitial cystitis, skip the lemon. The source lists no other off-limits ingredients.

Method

• Heat the oven to 450F. Mix the coconut oil, parsley, ginger, salt, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, and basil into a paste.
• Rub the fish all over with the seasoning blend and lay it on an oiled baking sheet.
• Bake about 7 minutes per side, until the flesh flakes easily with a fork. Thinner fillets finish faster, so check before the full time. (verify - source figure)
• Finish with the lemon juice and serve.

Air fryer variation

Rub the fish with the seasoning blend as written. Air fry at about 400F for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once partway, until the flesh flakes. Finish with the lemon juice off the heat. Thicker fillets need the longer end of the range. (verify - untested conversion)

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*