Meatless Friday: Quick Spanish Rice and Easy Fish

Maria Morera Johnson shares her go-to recipe for when the dinner plan doesn't go as planned. Download our printable recipe card!

Have you ever started dinner and realized you didn’t have the ingredients to finish? I admit this has happened too many times in a lifetime of being the primary family cook. This latest adventure in creative cooking started off with a Spanish-style rice that was packed with flavor. I meant for it to be the accompaniment to some fresh tamales that a certain someone-who-shall-not-be-named ate for lunch.

Alas. Time to punt.

Luckily, I had some frozen cod. I used the emergency thawing technique my grandmother taught me: put the frozen fish in a big bowl of cold water (not hot!) and somehow it thaws quickly. I didn’t have time for an elaborate preparation, so I preheated the oven to 400 and placed my favorite cast iron skillet in there. I covered the cod with olive oil and seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic, and a sprinkling of Old Bay. At this point, I just needed to get the job done, so I popped it in the skillet and let it bake at high heat for about ten minutes, and turned it to sear the top for about another five minutes. You might need a little longer depending on the size of the filet. I had a thick cut, but you might need to adjust.

The ability to be creative on the spot is the key to cooking on the fly. Experience teaches us to pivot in progress, and having a few meals that are easy to go to when there’s a surprise guest or a sudden change in plans, takes some of the stress out of the experience.

Do you have an emergency meal plan for a time you need to punt?

Quick Spanish Rice

1 cup of uncooked rice, prepared on the stove-top or in a rice steamer
1 small onion, diced
1 small red or green peppers (or both!) diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
A splash of white cooking wine

Sauté the onions and peppers in the olive oil, add tomato sauce and wine. Stir in the cooked rice until it is all covered. It will be a light red, but the amount of tomato sauce can be adjusted for personal preference.

Easy Flakey White Fish Bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Coat fish with olive oil

Season with salt, pepper, garlic, Old Bay, or other preferred spices

Place on pre-heated cast iron skillet or baking pan and bake for 10 minutes on one side. Turn over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.