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For weeknight meals, I often find I that don’t make large meals. This is in direct contrast to how I grew up. When I was younger, every dinner consisted of meat, potatoes, and a vegetable. Mom would make a full meal most nights and much of the food came from the garden or farm.
During the growing season, I grow most of my food but I don’t make as large of meals. Instead, I like to dine on the lighter side, making sure each meal is full of nutrition, and more importantly, full of flavor. This sheet pan cod recipe paired with a bed of cauliflower rice is one of my favorites.
If you have a family, this can easily serve four or be quickly multiplied for more. If you’re single, this is a great way to make a meal that will have leftovers for lunches and dinners.
Why the craze for cauliflower rice?
Cauliflower has always been one of my favorites. I love picking it fresh from the garden, cutting through the dense, crisp florets, and roasting, or eating fresh with hummus.
Cauliflower shares a surprising characteristic with rice. When cooked, both are neutral-flavored and make a perfect background flavor carrier. Healthy eating and living are all about balance and cauliflower rice allows the carbohydrates to be removed from the meal but the heartiness and texture of rice to remain.
Cauliflower rice is extremely easy to make:
- Break the down into the small florets.
- In batches, pulse in a food processor until the pieces are small and rice-like.
- The rice can be cooked on the stove, but I find it even easier to cook it in the oven.
- A little oil and some seasoning on top and the cauliflower rice steams to perfection.
Cod is my unsung hero. This fish does not get as much love as salmon or tuna but deserves to be on center stage. In case you haven’t used it often, cod is a meaty white fish. I love the way it holds together when cooked and is much more hearty than tilapia or mahi-mahi. With the cauliflower broken down into rice-like pieces the cooking time is reduced so the fish and rice can cook at approximately the same time.
Since this is a sheet pan dinner, the seasonings are also shared. Just like regular rice, cauliflower rice can take on any flavor. To open up the flavors, the spices are bloomed in warm oil, releasing their essential oils. This flavored oil flavors the cauliflower rice and the bits left in the skillet are rubbed on the fish to round out the flavor.
It’s time to try something new, and this recipe is the perfect answer!
Watch how to make this cod recipe:
Sheet Pan Cod and Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp coriander
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup raisins
- 1 cup Castelvetrano olives roughly chopped
- 4 4-5 oz cod fillets
For the herb salsa
- ½ cup chopped parsley lightly packed
- ½ cup chopped cilantro lightly packed
- ¼ cup chopped Castelvetrano olives
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Break the cauliflower into small florets. Using a food processor, pulse florets in batches until they are broken down into rice-like pieces. Pour rice on a large sheet pan.1 medium head cauliflower
- In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and salt. Sauté until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cumin, ground ginger, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon to the hot oil. Stir to bloom spices. Pour the spice mixture over the riced cauliflower, reserving 1 tbsp in the skillet. Add the raisins and olives to the cauliflower rice and stir to evenly incorporate. Place in oven and bake 10 minutes before adding the fish.3 tbsp olive oil, 1 cup diced onion, 1 tsp kosher salt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 ½ tsp coriander, ¾ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¾ cup raisins, 1 cup Castelvetrano olives
- Remove the cauliflower rice from the oven and rub cod fillets in the reserved oil spice mixture and nestle them in cauliflower rice. Drizzle filets and rice with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Place in the preheated oven. Bake until the cod reaches 125°F and the cauliflower rice is tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with herb salsa.4 4-5 oz cod fillets, 3 tbsp olive oil
- While cod and rice are baking prepare the herb salsa. In a small bowl, combine the parsley, cilantro, olives, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Stir and set aside.½ cup chopped parsley, ½ cup chopped cilantro, ¼ cup chopped Castelvetrano olives, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Excellent dish! Shared it with friends at a potluck party and everyone loved it! There was no leftovers! Will definitelly make again.
Hi Kaleb,
Just tried to make this with chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise to shorten cooking time. I didn’t have olives or raisins but I used fresh ginger so I hope it still works. More to come…
It was really good. I had to add a bit of salt to the cauliflower but it was very good and the cauliflower still had texture and wasn’t mush so that;s great! Thanks for the recipe!
Absolutely lovely recipe. I made it exactly as you recommend. We all love it and it’s been declared a keeper. Definitely one for the rotation. Thank you for sharing.