Summary
You can liven up a piece of cod with this puttanesca sauce! This sauce is of Italian origin and traditionally served with pasta. However, I love it with cod, and it also goes nicely with chicken. It literally translates as ‘prostitutes’ sauce, and it is thought that it was a swift meal they could prepare in between clients!
The base of the sauce is tomato, but there are so many wonderful flavours in there. Anchovies are the ‘A’ in S.M.A.S.H. group of fish: Sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon and herring. They are all oily fish that contain great amounts of Omega 3. They are essential to our body as we are unable to make them ourselves, we must therefore get them from our diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the “good” types of fat. They may help lower the risk of heart disease, depression, dementia, and arthritis. In fact, you get a double whammy as the cod itself contains omega 3’s, along with an excellent source of Vitamin B12 and a good source of Vitamin B6, both of which are needed to keep homocysteine levels low. This is important because homocysteine is a dangerous molecule that is directly damaging to blood vessel walls. There are of course many other health benefits but to keep it short we have listed the main ones!
The recipe is just for the cod and the sauce, I’m not about to insult anyones intelligence by explaining how to steam spinach or bake a sweet potato! You can also feel free to put any sides you fancy with it!
Ingredients
- Serves 1
- 125g Fillet of cod
- 200g of chopped tomatoes
- 30g anchovies in olive oil drained
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Olive oil (not virgin or extra virgin)
- 1 tbsp capers
- 15 pitted black olives
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C (fan) or 200c (conventional).
- Pop the cod on a baking tray and brush with a little of the oil. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the garlic and anchovies.
- Stir until the anchovies are dissolved and the garlic has softened.
- Add the capers, olives and tomatoes, bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer.
- Remove the cod from the oven when cooked and pour the sauce over the top!
- Add your chosen sides and enjoy!
Nutritional Content (per serving)
Calories
385kcal
Fat
19g
Sat Fat
2.5g
Protein
36g
Carbs
12g
Sugar
6.5g
Fibre
4g
