Ina Garten and Hoda Kotb’s Last Meal Together on ‘Today’ Was This 15-Minute Stunner

It’s been about a week since NBC’s “Today With Hoda and Jenna“ became “Today With Jenna and Friends.” Hoda Kotb chose to leave the long-running talk show on Jan. 10 after 17 years. In her next-to-last show, Ina Garten stopped by to wish Kotb well and talk about one of their favorite topics: cooking.

Garten shared that her “cheat” for entertaining is to head into meal planning knowing that the main course, vegetable, and starch don’t all have to be a lot of work. “I try and make one thing, buy one thing, and assemble one thing,” Garten said.

In addition, Garten said that the one thing you make should either be quick and easy or something you can do ahead of time, like wine-braised short ribs. (We love this advice!) Then, they moved to the kitchen set, where Garten taught Kotb and Jenna Bush how to do just that—prepare a simple (and flavorful) main dish.

Ina Garten’s Mustard-Roasted Fish with Broccolini

Garten cooked up a recipe for Mustard-Roasted Fish with Broccolini, and explained that she got it from the coat check woman at her hairdresser in Paris. “Even the coat check person is chic,” she said.

It took her about 5 minutes to prep the handful of ingredients for the recipe before she popped it in the oven. After preheating the oven to a high temp, she combined the crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, minced shallots, and capers in a medium-sized bowl.

Next, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, Garten seasoned four red snapper fillets with salt and pepper and slathered them with the mustardy crème fraîche mixture. On a separate baking sheet, she tossed one bunch of trimmed broccolini with a glug of olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Both baking sheets went into the oven together, but the broccolini was removed first and the fish stayed in until flaky, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Tip: Loosely tent the broccolini with aluminum foil to keep it warm while the fish finishes cooking.)

“That fish is so yummy,” said Kotb. Even the broccolini—which the hosts agreed they weren’t fans of before the side went in the oven—got rave reviews for being “so good.”

If red snapper is hard to find, look for another white fish as a substitute, such as haddock, cod, flounder, or grouper, and adjust the cook time accordingly. Whichever fish you use, dinner will still be on the table in about 15 minutes. Coat check recipe, check!