Cod Florentine — The Meal I Made So Mom Didn’t Have To

April 2026. Hector is in the hospital again. This time for longer — eight days, and the conversation with the cardiologist at day four was the kind of conversation that confirms the direction you've been heading toward. The ejection fraction is at a critical threshold. The medication adjustments are running out of room. The palliative care team is now more central than the treatment team. Marisol called me on day four and her voice was steady in the way that means she has been steady for a long time and is very tired from it.

I drove down on day five. I brought food — Mom didn't need to cook while managing everything else. I stayed four days. I cooked for them, cleaned, ran errands. I sat with Hector in the hospital room and we watched football on his tablet and I described plays he couldn't fully follow with the audio and he made corrections based on what he could see. On day seven he was well enough to be discharged. We drove him home. He asked if I'd been there since Monday. I said yes. He said, "You missed spring practice." I said I did. He said, "I would have done the same." I know, Dad. I know.

The week I was away, my staff ran spring practice. Williams led. The sessions went well — he sent me video each evening, four minutes of highlight clips from practice, which is exactly what I needed. I watched them at night in my parents' guest room after Hector was asleep and my heart was both in Las Cruces and on the practice field simultaneously. This is what it is to care fully for more than one thing. You hold them both and you don't let either go.

When I was thinking about what to cook that first evening — standing in my parents’ kitchen while Mom sat down for the first time all day — I needed something that said care without being complicated, something gentle enough for a man with a struggling heart but real enough to feel like an actual meal. Cod Florentine kept coming back to me: lean fish, good greens, a little warmth. It was the kind of dish that doesn’t ask anything of the people eating it, which was exactly right for that week.

Cod Florentine

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cod fillets (about 6 oz each), patted dry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz fresh baby spinach (or one package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Build the spinach base. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until fully wilted, about 3–4 minutes. Pour in the broth and stir in the Greek yogurt, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes until slightly thickened, then remove from heat.
3. Assemble the dish. Spread the spinach mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Season the cod fillets on both sides with salt and pepper, then lay them on top of the spinach in a single layer.
4. Bake. Bake uncovered for 16–20 minutes, until the cod is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork. Thicker fillets may need the full 20 minutes.
5. Finish and serve. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside. Spoon the spinach from the bottom of the dish over each fillet when plating.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 220 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg