Herbed Cod and Soft Couscous Lunch Bowl
This gentle lunch bowl pairs soft, low-fibre couscous with tender poached cod and mild Mediterranean herbs for an easily digestible, binding meal that’s friendly for GLP-1 users with diarrhoea. It’s low in fat and fibre while still providing solid protein to support nutrition when overall intake is reduced.
Ingredients
- 220 g cod fillet — cut into large chunks, skin removed
- 80 g dry couscous — plain, fine
- 350 ml low sodium chicken broth — warm
- 5 ml extra virgin olive oil — for drizzling optional
- 1 g dried oregano — crumbled
- 1 g dried parsley — crumbled
- 1 g fine sea salt — or to taste optional
- 0.5 g ground white pepper — or to taste optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the low sodium chicken broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Add the cod chunks to the simmering broth, reduce heat to low, and poach for 6–8 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily; avoid boiling to keep it very tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift the cooked cod into a bowl, leaving the hot broth in the pan; cover the cod lightly to keep warm.
- Stir the dry couscous, dried oregano, and dried parsley into the hot broth, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes until the couscous is very soft and has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Fluff the couscous gently with a fork, adding a small splash of hot water if it seems too dry, then season lightly with sea salt and white pepper if tolerated.
- Divide the soft couscous between two small bowls, top each with half of the poached cod, and drizzle each portion with a very small amount of olive oil if extra calories are needed and fat is tolerated.
Tips for GLP-1 users
If your gut is very sensitive during a GLP-1 dose increase, cook the couscous a few extra minutes in more broth to make it almost porridge-soft, which can be easier to tolerate with diarrhoea.
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