Last Updated on January 1, 2026
Back on a Diet – Summer Cod with Shrimps and a Vegetable Medley:
Having hit my target weight at the end of 2013 with the 5:2 diet, I’ve lapsed.
This year so far, I’ve been to Puglia (lots of fabulous buratta – literally buttered cheese and pasta), to Costa Barcelona (sounds healthy till you realise the quantity of Cava and the preserved meats involved), to Antigua (rum punch anyone) and to Sarlat in the Perigord Noir (say no more). I’ve also enjoyed some fabulous meals out in London. And I’ve been going around all of the Christmas press shows, eating my fill of mince pies and more. At times, I haven’t been at home to cook even one night of the week.
I hopped on the scales a week ago and was horrified. I was 3.5kg more than my all-time low. I’ve lost half a kilo now by doing two fasts during the week and cutting out any alcohol at home. Drastic action is clearly still needed, though, so this weekend I’m fasting from Saturday morning to Sunday supper time. Only fasting in the 5:2 diet sense of the phrase – I had my 500 calories yesterday, and today I will have a low-calorie lunch. I really enjoyed last night’s recipe: foil-cooked cod with lemon, parsley, and brown shrimp, served with a medley of summer vegetables. White fish makes a great option for a low-calorie meal – and cooking it in foil with just a tiny bit of oil and some lemon means that you don’t add calories to the dish unnecessarily.
The little brown shrimps are something that have only recently appeared in my branch of Waitrose. They remind me of my childhood by the sea when we’d set out with nets and buckets to go shrimping and come home with just a handful of tiny shellfish for supper. My mother used to make bread, and dripping sandwiches, and add the shrimps to that – the saltiness of the shrimps worked beautifully with the rich beef dripping. Be careful about when you add them to the dish; ideally, you just want them to warm through, as they are already cooked and will become chewy if you overdo it.
Cod with Brown Shrimps and a Medley of Summer Vegetables
Ingredients
- 100 g Cod loin fillet
- 10 g Brown shrimps
- 1 dash Olive oil
- 1 piece Lemon
- 1 handful Flat leaf parsley
Vegetable Medley
- 1/2 Medium Courgette (Zucchini)
- 5 Cherry tomatoes
- 5-6 Asparagus tips
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Instructions
Fish
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C
- Season the fish with salt and pepper
- Drizzle a large piece of foil with olive oil. Place the fish on top and the slice of lemon over that, before sealing the package up
- Place the fish parcel in the oven on a baking sheet.
Vegetable medley
- While the fish cooks, dice the courgette into 1cm cubes, cut the tomatoes in half, trim the asparagus and peel the garlic
- Heat the remaining oil in a heavy based pan
- Soften the garlic for a minute or so, then add the courgette dice. Cook over a medium heat until it starts to brown
- Add the asparagus spears and cook for a further 1-2 minutes
Fish
- Check the fish and if it looks close to being cooked add the brown shrimps to the parcel before resealing and putting it back in the oven for 2 minutes
Vegetable medley
- Add the tomatoes to the vegetable mixture and cook for a further minute or so
- Serve the fish garnished with parsley and shrimps, with the vegetables on the side
By cutting out high-carb and high-calorie ingredients like potatoes, I could make a summer vegetable medley that not only complemented the fish but also provided me with a substantial plateful of food. Again, just a teaspoon of good-quality olive oil to gently fry the vegetables.
For more inspiration if you are dieting, check out my 5:2 diet recipe collection
And, if you are thinking of making this recipe – why not pin the post for later
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