Quality ingredients make all the difference when your method is this minimalist. Seek out cod fillets that are opaque and firm; they should smell like the ocean, not like a fish market. For the rice, basmati is my preference because the grains stay beautifully separate and light.

1. Prep the Oven and Rice: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Rinse your basmati rice under cold running water in a fine-mesh sieve. Keep rinsing until the water runs completely clear—this washes away the excess starch that leads to clumpy rice.
2. Simmer the Base: In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed rice, vegetable broth, and half of the minced garlic. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cover tightly and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Once the time is up, turn off the heat and leave it covered for another 5 minutes to steam.
3. Season the Cod: Pat the cod fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. This step is critical; if the fish is wet, it will steam instead of roasting. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and the remaining garlic.
4. The Bake: Place the fillets on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 12–15 minutes. You will know it is done when the white flesh is opaque and separates easily into large, translucent flakes when poked with a fork.
5. The Finish: In your saucepan, fluff the rice with a fork. Gently fold in the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and dill. Taste it—you may want a little extra salt here. Serve the fillets directly atop the herb-flecked rice.

If you are meal prepping for the week, keep the fish and the rice in separate containers. The rice keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but the fish is best consumed within 48 hours. To reheat the fish, do so very gently in a pan with a splash of water or broth to prevent it from turning rubbery. The microwave is rarely kind to delicate white fish, so a low-temperature oven or a quick pan-sear is always the better route.