Baked Cod and Greens
Flaky, lemon-baked cod over a heap of garlicky greens — 42 grams of protein for just 360 calories, and one of the leanest, gentlest plates I know. Light on the gut, light on the calories, heavy on the satisfaction.
Plate 01 / Finished
White fish gets a bad reputation, and I think it’s unfair. People call it boring, bland, the thing you eat when you’re being punished. But the truth is most folks have only ever had cod overcooked into dry, rubbery flakes, and of course that’s miserable. Cooked properly — just to the point where it turns opaque and slides apart in soft, juicy flakes — cod is one of the most delicate, satisfying things you can put on a plate. The fault was never the fish.
I started leaning on it hard during the strictest weeks of a cut, when my calories were low and my stomach was tired of heavy meat. Cod is extraordinary on a deficit: enormously high in protein for almost no fat, and so gentle that it sits light even late in the evening. I bake it on a bed of greens with garlic, lemon and a whisper of oil, so the fish steams tender while the greens soak up all that bright, savoury flavour. One tray, almost no washing up, twenty-five minutes start to finish.
This plate is 42 grams of protein for 360 calories, love, and it eats like something far more generous than its numbers. It’s my “I trained hard and my body needs feeding gently” meal — clean, light, and quietly delicious. If white fish has ever let you down, give me one fillet and let me change your mind. I’ve got you on this one.
01Who it’s for & when to eat it
The cod and greens stay the same — you build the plate up or keep it pared back to suit your goal. Here’s how I steer it.
The default plate
One cod fillet over a big pile of garlicky greens with lemon. Extremely lean, extremely gentle, properly satisfying. My go-to in the strict weeks when my stomach wants something light.
Build it up
Same cod and greens, plus a portion of buttery new potatoes or rice and a drizzle of olive oil. Lean protein turned into a fuller plate. See the variations below for numbers.
Steady fuel
The cod with a fist of carbs and a little healthy fat — olive oil, a few olives, or some avocado. Lean, easy-to-digest protein with balanced fuel around it.
Timing: a lovely evening meal — light, fast-digesting protein that won’t sit heavy before bed. It’s also gentle enough for a post-training plate when you don’t want anything too rich.
02Ingredients
Makes 2 plates. Cod is the star — buy it as fresh as you can and don’t overcook it. Everything else is there to lift it. Scale every line for more.
Servings 2 · adjust on the live recipe card- Cod fillets skinless2 × 180 g · 6.3 oz ea.
- Tenderstem broccoli or greens300 g · 10.6 oz
- Baby spinach2 handfuls · 60 g
- Garlic, sliced3 cloves
- Lemon1, half sliced half juiced
- Olive oil1 tbsp · 15 ml
- Chilli flakes optionala pinch
- Fresh parsley or dillto finish
- Black pepperto taste
- Saltto taste (go light)
Swaps I actually use: any firm white fish works — haddock, pollock, hake — and they’re all just as lean. Frozen fillets are fine; just pat them very dry. Swap the greens for asparagus, green beans, or courgette. A spoon of capers or a few halved cherry tomatoes scattered on the tray adds a bright lift for almost no calories.
03Step by step
Get it hot first
Heat the oven to 200°C (390°F). A hot oven cooks the cod fast, which is exactly what you want — quick cooking is gentle cooking with fish, and it keeps the flakes juicy rather than drying them out.
Make a bed for the fish
Toss the broccoli or greens on a baking tray with the sliced garlic, half the olive oil, a pinch of salt and the chilli flakes if using. Spread them out — they’ll be the bed the cod bakes on, soaking up the garlic and lemon.
Magnus says: the greens cook in the same time as the fish, so this really is a one-tray meal. Less washing up, more living.
Dry, oil, lemon on top
Pat the cod fillets dry, sit them on top of the greens, and rub them with the rest of the oil and a light pinch of salt and pepper. Lay a couple of lemon slices over each fillet so they perfume the fish as it bakes.
12–15 minutes, until it flakes
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the cod turns opaque and flakes easily when you press it with a fork. Don’t overshoot — the second it flakes, it’s done.
Magnus says: cod goes from perfect to rubbery in a couple of minutes. Check it early and trust the flake.
Fold in the spinach at the end
Pull the tray out and tumble the baby spinach in among the hot greens — the residual heat wilts it in under a minute. It adds a soft green layer and a little extra volume for almost no calories.
Lemon, herbs, plate it up
Squeeze the rest of the lemon over everything, scatter with fresh parsley or dill, and lift the cod and greens onto two warm plates. Eat it straight away while the fish is at its softest.
Magnus says: that final squeeze of lemon wakes the whole plate up. Don’t skip it — fish loves acid.
04The spec sheet
Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. The recipe makes 2 plates, about 600g of finished food total. Here’s what one serving (~300g) and a flat 100g actually give you.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 360 kcal | 120 kcal |
| Protein | 42.0 g | 14.0 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.0 g | 3.3 g |
| — of which sugars | 3.5 g | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 15.0 g | 5.0 g |
| — of which saturates | 2.0 g | 0.7 g |
| Fibre | 5.0 g | 1.7 g |
| Sodium | ~0.42 g | ~0.14 g |
Very low. Cod is one of the leanest proteins going, and the big pile of greens keeps the volume up — you eat a full plate and barely touch your calorie budget.
Outstanding. Cod is almost pure protein, so this is about as protein-rich as a meal gets — ideal for holding muscle through a hard cut.
- Vitamin B12~2.5 µg · 104% DV
- Selenium~45 µg · 82% DV
- Iodine~150 µg · 100% DV
- Vitamin C~70 mg · 78% DV
- Vitamin K~110 µg · 92% DV
- Folate~95 µg · 24% DV
Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.
05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations
One tray, three jobs. The cod and greens stay the same — you add carbs and fat or keep it pared back. Macros below are for a full serving.
The lean default
One cod fillet over a big pile of greens, just a teaspoon of oil, plenty of lemon and garlic. Extremely lean and light — this is the plate I lean on hardest in the strictest weeks.
Add the carbs
Same cod and greens, plus a portion of buttery new potatoes or rice and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Turns the light plate into a fuller meal while keeping the protein high.
Steady & balanced
The cod with a fist of new potatoes and a little healthy fat — olive oil, olives, or avocado. Lean, gentle protein with balanced carbs and fats around it.
06Meal prep & storage
Fish is best eaten fresh, but this plate holds up better than most for a day or two if you treat it gently. I prep the greens ahead more often than the fish.
Store cooled cod and greens in an airtight container. Cooked white fish keeps a couple of days; eat it sooner rather than later for the best texture.
I don’t freeze cooked cod — it turns watery and soft. Far better to freeze the raw fillets and bake them fresh when you want them.
Reheat gently in a covered dish in a low oven, or eat the cod cold flaked over a salad — it’s lovely that way and dodges the reheating-fish problem entirely.
For meal prep I’ll often bake the greens in a batch and keep raw fillets ready in the freezer, baking a fresh piece of cod in fifteen minutes. Cold flaked cod over leaves the next day is genuinely one of my favourite quick lunches too.
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07Common questions
How do I stop cod from being rubbery? +
Don’t overcook it — that’s the whole secret. Bake it in a hot oven and pull it the moment it turns opaque and flakes with gentle pressure, usually 12 to 15 minutes. Cod goes from perfect to tough in a couple of minutes, so check early and trust the flake rather than the timer.
Can I use frozen cod? +
Yes, and it’s often great value. Thaw the fillets fully and pat them very dry before baking — frozen fish holds water, and excess water makes it steam and go soggy. Once it’s dry, treat it exactly like fresh.
What other fish works here? +
Any firm white fish — haddock, pollock, hake, or even a thicker piece of basa. They’re all lean and bake the same way; just watch thinner fillets, which cook faster. Salmon works too, though it’s fattier, so it bumps the calories up.
How do I turn this into a bulk meal? +
Add carbs and a little fat: a portion of new potatoes or rice and a generous drizzle of olive oil. That takes a serving from around 360 calories up to roughly 620 while keeping the protein high. See the Bulk variation above for the numbers.
Is cod good on a cut? +
It’s one of the best proteins for it. Cod is extremely high in protein for very few calories and almost no fat, so it lets you hit your protein target while keeping calories low. It’s also gentle on the stomach, which matters when you’re eating light. Just remember fish counts toward general healthy-eating guidance on oily versus white varieties — see the nutrition disclaimer.
This cod plate lives inside a full week of meals.
This baked cod is one plate in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.
See the cutting meal plan →08Pairs well with
Magnus Olafsson
I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.
Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.
Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.