The microwave has volumes of cookbooks dedicated to its proper use. Some come from the manufacturers of such items, while others changed the game from the outside. Amazon is filled with microwave cookbooks, all of which sell for $2.99. I picked up one at a thrift store for probably too much money and the gems inside were worth every penny, which is more than I can say for Super Fish.

Chef Chuck Grassley

Republican Senator from Iowa

As always, I followed the recipe word for word directly from the senator with my favorite tweets in the world, no alterations:

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs frozen haddock or cod fillets

salt to taste

2-3 tbsp onion, minced

2 tbsp butter

1 cup sour cream

10.5oz canned cream of mushroom soup

10.5oz canned cream of celery soup

1 tbsp parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Thaw fish and place in 8x12 baking dish, still in block size. Sprinkle with salt.

I went with cod, but I’m sure both cod and haddock are fine options as long as they are purchased from the landlocked state of Iowa.

2) Sauté onion in butter.

3) Mix all other ingredients except parsley and heat together.

Though the microwave will play a bigger role momentarily, I went with stovetop heating of the soup and sour cream mix. Just until it burbled.

4) Microwave 7-10 minutes.

This could take longer or shorter depending on your microwave, but seven minutes was plenty for me. Now, to be clear, you COULD bake this recipe, and Senator Grassley gives that option, but he mentions that his mother microwaved it in her later years. Chuck Grassley is 90 years old, so he is most certainly in his later years. Since he gave the option, I gave Instagram followers the option, and they chose microwave, those wonderful, monstrous fans that they are.

5) Sprinkle with parsley before baking or put fresh parsley on top a few minutes before baking is finished. Makes 6-8 servings.

I sprinkled the parsley on right after as a garnish. Don’t microwave fresh parsley for seven minutes.

Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the Cookin’ with Congress Instagram or TikTok. The thing many people on Instagram were concerned about was the smell — would it forever stink up my house to microwave cod with two cans of soup for seven whole minutes? The answer is either 1) no, or 2) I am now noseblind to fish smell. It definitely stuck around in the house though. Color-wise, it’s very Chuck Grassley.

Verdict:

I’m going to give two verdicts because SURPRISE! I had leftover cod and did the baked version, too.

Microwave version: no thank you. The cod did not flake, it was just fibrous slop.

Oven version: better texture for sure, but still absolutely overwhelmed by sour cream and soup. It’s a sodium-lover’s delight. I did, however, like it after I washed all the soup off, leaving a hint of soup flavors without all that sludge.