Almond-Crusted Cod with Coconut Rice and Ginger Spinach

Fresh filets of cod are coated in almond flour, then lightly fried and served alongside sautéed spinach with ginger, and creamy coconut rice for a delicious, healthy dinner.

This post, sponsored by Blue Apron, is for the home cooks who juggle all the balls the daily grind delivers. For those who half way through their day wonder what in the heck is going to end up on the dinner table. And yes, even for food bloggers, like me, who some would expect to have it all put together come eating time. Well, we don’t. And that’s why I’m excited to share this healthy, fresh and ridiculously effortless recipe from a box—literally, delivered on your doorstep in a box.

You know how word of mouth works. It’s one of our most trusted advisors. You seek it out when you’re dealing with adult things like finding the best pre-school, the best realtor and anyone with a lead on a great accountant. In my opinion, that’s money in the bank right there.

Such has been the case for me, thanks to my friend Cindy. For more than a year, Cindy has raved about the home delivery food service Blue Apron. So when Blue Apron asked if I’d be interested in trying their service and sharing it on the blog, I already had Cindy’s kudos in my back pocket and that gave me the green light to give it a go.

Cindy is a great cook. It’s one of the loves we share. When she and her family come to Utah for their annual ski trip, we spend a lot of time in our kitchen creating meals with a glass or three of wine in hand. And that’s where Blue Apron first came up.

I was a bit skeptical the first time she told me about the service and pretty much dismissed it as being something I wouldn’t be into. In fact, I think she even sent me a link to try it out for free, but like so many things that aren’t right in front of my face, I forgot all about it.

But every time I’d see her and talk would turn to food, family and work, she’d tell me again how much she not only enjoys, but depends on Blue Apron.

A Cooking Conundrum

Cooking at home can be a challenge to the weeknight stopwatch. Cindy and Shawn live in Brooklyn, and work in New York City. “My husband and I both have full-time, demanding careers, and we have a 6-year-old son. My priority after work is rushing home to spend quality time with my son before he goes to bed.”

Sounds familiar.

Back in 2013 Cindy was gifted a free trial week to try and in her words, “I haven’t looked back. I no longer have to think—during my commute home, ‘Crap! I forgot to take something out of the freezer to cook for dinner. What am I going to make (and what do I need from the store before I can make it)?’ I can just go home, and know that I have everything I need to make a really good dinner.”

That’s my kind of meal.

Dinner Is Delivered

When my husband and I opened our first Blue Apron delivery, I wasn’t prepared for what we had received.

In front of us was a refrigerated box that traveled across the country but everything inside looked like I’d just come home from the farmer’s market. The packaging was tasteful, simple and nicely designed. I’m always swayed by the packaging. The fish and meat were chilled, the vegetables totally fresh and in perfect portions for the recipe. They even included the butter! No waste or extra trips to the grocery store here.

Each delivery comes with two chef designed meals that vary depending on seasonality and change each week. We received the makings and recipes for this Almond-Crusted Cod with Coconut Rice and Ginger Spinach along with meal-makings for Pan-Seared Steaks with Salsa Verde with Roasted Purple Potatoes and Broccoli. We had that one last night and oh wow, I was so inspired by the simple but somehow complex flavors.

“The recipes are all remarkably delicious, interesting and healthy, and it makes me make and try things that I normally wouldn’t do,” pointed out Cindy.

For home delivery, Blue Apron is surprisingly economical at about $35 per four serving meal. I can rarely get out of the grocery store for less, and this is delivered straight to my door, no thinking required. Shipping is always free and you can cancel at any time.

Blue Apron is offering 100 FoodieCrush readers two meals off their first Blue Apron order for free. Just click here. 

Home Cooking for Every Cook’s Level

Blue Apron recipes sound gourmet, but you don’t have to be a gourmet to prepare them. Each recipe comes with step by step instructions and can be cooked in 40 minutes or less. I agree with Cindy when she says, “A lot of times, I feel as though I get a cooking lesson while making one of their dishes as there are ingredients I’ve never heard of (let alone cooked with) or cooking techniques that I’ve never tried before.”

One of the coolest parts of the service is you get to choose from a great list of original and inventive healthy recipes chosen from their website’s weekly menu. I asked for a few of Cindy’s favorites and she had a hard time editing her choices. I narrowed her list down to Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni and Purple-top Turnips; Tom Tum Style Shrimp and Noodles; Crispy Chicken Thighs with Kumquat Relish and Freekeh salad and Southwestern Style Beef-Stuffed Peppers with Chipotle Pepper and Monterey Jack Cheese.

My husband and I are in agreement, this is one service we can use to make our lives a little easier. We’ve already signed up (non-sponsored) for at least one week a month delivery.

Blue Apron may put me out of the recipe creating business. You can bet I got a couple of blog post ideas after perusing their list. Maybe I’ll just give up this recipe creating thing and instead simply order their food and make their recipes.

Better yet, I’ll sit back and relax and let my husband do the cooking.

Click here to be one of the first 100 FoodieCrush readers to receive two meals off your first Blue Apron order for free. 

About the Recipe

We received two 4 serving meals and chose to feature this Almond Crusted Cod with Coconut Rice and Ginger Spinach. For such an elaborate sounding meal, there were really only 8 or so ingredients, all included except for a few drizzles of olive oil and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The cod was delicious, fresh and mild. A simple coating of almond flour on just one side of the cod added a delicate, nutty crunch and coating. Be sure to pat the fillets well with paper towels to remove any excess moisture so the almond coating crisps rather than steams.

The rice is cooked in the coconut milk that’s been accented with ginger, infusing the grain with bright flavors. While the recipe didn’t call for it, I added some of the chopped fresh cilantro to the rice for a bit of color.

The fresh spinach is cooked in two stages. Sautéing the leaves in olive oil first helps release the moisture and water content from their leaves, so the mix doesn’t come out soggy. After a quick drain of the spinach, the side is finished off with the ginger and butter, infusing it with an aromatic richness.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.  

4.17 from 6 votes

Almond-Crusted Cod with Coconut Rice and Ginger Spinach

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Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients 

½x1x2x3x

• 4 cod fillets
• 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
• 1 13.50 ounce can light coconut milk
• 1 lime
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1 large bunch of cilantro
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 2- inch piece ginger
• ¼ cup almond flour
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Bring the cod to room temperature. Peel and mince the ginger and pick the cilantro leaves off of the stems. Discard stems. Quarter the lime.
  
• To Prepare the Coconut Rice
• In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add half of the ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice, 1 cup water, a big pinch of kosher salt and the coconut milk (shaking the can before opening.) Heat to boiling, then reduce to low and cover. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff the finished rice with a fork.
  
• To Prepare the Spinach
• While the rice cooks, heat 1 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Work in batches if necessary. Transfer the cooked spinach to a strainer. Hold the strainer over a bowl and using a spoon, press down on the cooked spinach to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid. Set the drained spinach aside and wipe out the pan.
• Using the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat and add the remaining ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Stir in the drained spinach and cook for about 1 minute or until combined. Add the butter and cook until melted. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a serving dish and set aside in a warm place. Wipe out the pan.
  
• To Prepare the Almond-Crusted Cod
• While the rice finishes cooking, pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the almond flour on a plate. Coat 1 side of each seasoned fillet in a the almond flour. In the same pan used to cook the spinach, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat until hot.Add the fillets, coated sides down first, and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges. Serve with the coconut rice and ginger spinach.

This post is sponsored by Blue Apron. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

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