By Spring 2021 came and with it the first real loosening of the pandemic's grip. Vaccines were moving through communities. The numbers were shifting. The question of what "after" looked like was starting to be askable in a way it hadn't been for a year.
I planted the garden the third week of April when the soil had warmed enough and there was no more frost in the forecast. Kai helped with more independence this year—he'd been doing this long enough now that he understood the basics. He planted his own section again, this time with ambitions that had been scaled back from watermelons to cucumbers, which was the right call. He also planted a small patch of sunflowers for no reason other than wanting them, which I thought was a good instinct.
Caleb came over with River strapped to his chest in a carrier and worked in the garden with us for an hour. River slept through the whole thing while Caleb turned compost and argued with me about whether the tomato spacing was adequate. The argument was essentially the same argument Danny used to make and Caleb didn't know that, which made it even better. Some things pass sideways through families without anyone noticing.
Made a spring soup that evening with the first wild ramps I'd found along the creek and some early spinach from the garden, a simple clear broth with a little pork. Ramp season is short and I never waste a moment of it. The smell of ramps in a hot pan is a specific announcement that spring has arrived and winter has been survived. After the year we'd just had, that announcement landed harder than usual.
That bowl of ramp and spinach broth was its own kind of ceremony, but the spinach kept coming after that first cutting—more than one pot of clear soup could handle. This recipe became the natural follow-up, a way to keep honoring those early garden leaves in something a little heartier. After a year of eating through worry and waiting, there’s something quietly triumphant about laying fresh spinach into a pan you grew yourself, feeding the people you finally got to stand next to again.
Cheesy Fish Fillets with Spinach
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 white fish fillets (cod, tilapia, or haddock), about 6 oz each
- 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
- Wilt the spinach. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt, stirring until just wilted, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Arrange the fish. Pat the fish fillets dry and lay them in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Top with spinach. Spoon the wilted spinach mixture evenly over each fillet, distributing the garlic throughout.
- Add the cheese. Combine the cheddar and mozzarella, then sprinkle generously over the spinach-topped fillets.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 15–18 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the cheese is melted, bubbly, and beginning to turn golden at the edges.
- Serve. Let rest 2 minutes before serving. Pair with crusty bread, rice, or simply on its own.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 480mg