Cod · cooked

Cod is one of the leanest white fish: 20 g of protein for just 90 kcal and 0.9 g of fat per 100 g. Unbeatable protein-to-calorie ratio, fine and digestible flesh — a top choice when cutting.

Low in calories, it lets you eat a filling volume for very little energy, while covering a good share of your protein needs.

When cutting, cod is hard to beat: lots of protein, almost no calories. Pair it with carbs and vegetables. When bulking, just add more starch and a drizzle of olive oil around it. Benchmark: 150 g cooked ≈ 30 g of protein for ~135 kcal.

Its lean flesh flakes fast: gentle (oven, steam, parcel, medium-heat pan) and short cooking. In a parcel with lemon and herbs, it stays tender and fragrant with no added fat. Fresh or frozen, it keeps its qualities.

Frozen cod (often frozen at sea) is as good as fresh, cheaper and always available — perfect for meal prep. Thaw it in the fridge and pat it dry before cooking so it browns instead of boiling.

If it is too pricey, other lean white fish (pollock, hake, haddock) have a nearly identical profile: swap them by price. Do avoid frozen breaded versions, though, which add crumbs and fat.

At the fresh counter, look for white, pearly, firm flesh with no yellowish patches and no strong smell: fresh fish smells of the sea, not of ammonia. The loin is thicker and more even than the tail, so it cooks more uniformly; the tail, which is cheaper, suits stews and parcel cooking well.

As for labels, sustainable-fishing marks (for example MSC) are a useful guide, since cod has long been under heavy fishing pressure. Also check the fishing area on the label. Mind the names: cod is the fresh fish, while salt cod usually means the same fish salted and dried, which has a completely different sodium profile.

A 150 to 200 g fillet about 3 cm thick cooks in 10 to 12 minutes in a 180 °C oven, 8 to 10 minutes steamed, or 3 to 4 minutes per side in a medium-heat pan. The reliable cue: the flesh turns opaque and separates into large pearly flakes at around 60-63 °C in the centre. Beyond that, the fibres tighten, squeeze out their water and the fish turns dry and mealy.

For crisp skin, dry the surface well, heat the pan before adding a little oil and leave the piece alone. A squeeze of lemon, a few fresh herbs (dill, parsley, chives) and garlic are enough to season it without adding calories.

Fresh fish keeps one to two days at most in the fridge, ideally in the coldest zone, protected by film or an airtight box. Frozen cod keeps for several months at -18 °C; note the opening date and keep it in its original packaging to limit freezer burn.

Sea fish can carry parasites such as anisakis. Cooking to above 60 °C in the centre or prior freezing at -20 °C for at least 24 hours neutralises them, one more reason to cook your cod properly. Never refreeze thawed fish, and eat cooked fish within 24 to 48 hours.

With 20 g of protein for 90 kcal, cod is a precision tool. When cutting, 200 g cooked gives about 40 g of protein for 180 kcal: you hit your protein quota while keeping calorie room for carbs, vegetables and some fat. It digests easily, which makes it a good evening meal.

When bulking, its low calorie density is a drawback if you struggle to eat enough: compensate with rice, potatoes, olive oil or an avocado sauce. Alternate it with meat and oily fish to vary amino acids and micronutrients, and feel free to build its recipes into your weekly meal prep.

The first mistake is overcooking: a few minutes too many and the flesh turns dry. The second is cooking it still frozen, which makes it release a lot of water and boil instead of browning. The third is drowning it in butter or cream, which cancels its value when cutting.

Finally, do not count on it for omega-3s: it contains little, being a lean fish. If you want these fatty acids, add an oily fish such as sardine or mackerel once or twice a week, and keep cod for its very clean protein.

Beyond protein, cod provides vitamin B12, essential for the nervous system and red blood cell formation, selenium with antioxidant properties, phosphorus for bone and cellular energy, and iodine, indispensable for the thyroid. These supplies support a well-functioning metabolism, and therefore your training progress.

You can find it in simple recipes on the site such as cod with brown rice and zucchini, steamed cod with lemony broccoli, or cod with tomatoes and olives, all easy to batch-prepare for the week.