Calm Belly Recipe: Oven-baked Cod with Pesto & Serrano Ham

The Calm Belly Cookbook by Cecilie Hauge Ågotnes  was born from Cecilie's desire to provide varied recipe ideas suitable for sensitive stomachs but that are also comforting and delicious. Cecilie had to give up a successful career when she was diagnosed ten years ago with severe IBS. After extensive research she discovered the Low FODMAP Diet  which proved hugely beneficial to her health but didn’t satisfy her desire for inspiring tasty recipes that might appeal to the whole family.

Cecilie used her talents as a fantastic home cook to create her own low FODMAP recipes and her first cook book was born. Consisting of inspiring, tasty recipes that the whole family could enjoy and that are suitable for anyone suffering from symptoms such as bloating, indigestion, cramps and irregular digestion.

"My mother has the honour of being the one who made this dish come to life. She actually makes a version with monkfish, but cod is another healthy and tasty option" says Cecilie of this recipe taken from her book.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x 175g cod or monkfish fillets, or any other white-fleshed fish fillets

1 serving of Basil Pesto

100–150g Serrano ham

Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Place the fish in an ovenproof dish. Spread a generous amount of the pesto on top of each fillet and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked. If the fish is frozen, increase the cooking time to 25–30 minutes.

3. Chop the Serrano ham and fry it in a frying pan over a medium heat until crisp.

4. Place the cooked fish on a plate, top it with the ham and drizzle over the pesto and juices from the pan. You do not need additional sauce.

TIP: Bacon can be substituted for Serrano ham. Although Serrano ham is low FODMAP, some people do react to cured meats.

Recipe extracted from  The Calm Belly Cookbook by Cecilie Hauge Agotnes , published by Modern Books on 1st February, £14.99 hardback.