Denise says:

This easy tasty fish dish is super healthy, has very little fat and is packed with goodness – ideal if you are focusing on your New Year diet. I like the fact that it is a complete meal in one recipe – no need to cook additional vegetables or potatoes.
I have cooked the fish on top of a bed of puy lentils, shiitake mushrooms, spinach and cherry tomatoes. Puy lentils are dark green pulses with blue marbling that hold their shape and colour during cooking.
All lentils are low in fat and high in protein and fibre, and have the added advantage of cooking quickly. The magic fact about lentils is that they absorb the flavours of whatever they are cooked with, so add any appropriate herbs or spices to the cooking liquid.

A few facts about using lentils
- Before cooking, always rinse lentils and pick out stones and other debris.
- Unlike dried beans and peas, there's no need to soak them. Bigger or older lentils take longer to cook.
- Store dried lentils for up to a year in a cool, dry place.

If you would like to ring the changes substitute hake, brill or haddock as an alternative to cod.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

250g puy lentils
2 shallots – Peeled and finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
200g Shiitake mushrooms, quartered
250g cherry tomatoes or baby plum tomatoes – cut in half
2 tablespoons capers – rinsed
150ml white wine
4 x cod fillets, skinned (about 150g – 175g) (5 – 6 oz) each
1 small lemon, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley – roughly chopped
150g baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1) Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas mark 6.
2) Rinse the lentils. Put into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15- 20 minutes or until they are tender. Drain and put to one side.
3) Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan. Sauté the shallots until softened. Increase the heat and add the mushrooms. Cook for a couple of minutes, until slightly golden. Stir in the lentils, halved tomatoes, capers and wine. Season the fish with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4) Sit the fish on top of the lentils, top with slices of lemon and drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
5) Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
6) Gently lift the fish from the oven dish and transfer to a plate. Stir the parsley and spinach into the lentil mixture.

To serve the stylish way: Spoon the lentil mixture onto 4 warmed plates, sit the fish on top and garnish with lemon slices.