Cod Fillets With Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

This cooling herbed yogurt sauce is adapted from the chef Yotam Ottolenghi in London, who serves it with leek fritters. But it’s wonderful with mild fish like cod. The fish, while delicious, is utterly simple: fillets baked in a 300-degree oven until opaque, 10 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the pieces. It is the sauce that is the star, and that comes together quickly in a food processor. Combine roughly chopped cilantro and parsley, garlic that has been mashed to a paste, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and yogurt. (Whole-milk yogurt would be best for body and flavor, while low-fat is O.K., and nonfat untenable.) Process until the mixture is smooth and green. There will be sauce left over, which you can use on yet more fish, or as a dip for vegetables or fritters, anything that would thrive when dunked in the refreshing, herb-graced sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cilantro leaves (some stems are O.K. – you don’t have to pick off each leaf the way you do with parsley)
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (low-fat or whole)
• 1 ½ pounds Alaskan cod fillets
• Lemon wedges for garnish

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    256 calories; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 87 milligrams cholesterol; 234 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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4 servings (you’ll have sauce left over)

Preparation

1. To make the sauce, coarsely chop the cilantro and the parsley leaves. In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt. Place the cilantro and parsley in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until finely chopped. Add the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, about 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and the yogurt and process until the mixture is smooth and green. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and oil the foil. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and lay on the foil. Place a pan of just boiled water on the floor of your oven and place the baking sheet with the fish in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the fish is opaque on the surface and you can pull it apart with a fork.
3. Remove the fish from the oven, transfer to plates or a platter, and spoon on the sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

• Advance preparation: You can make the sauce a few hours ahead. Keep in the refrigerator and stir well before serving.

40 minutes