The ray, cooked, is substantial and nourishing (6)
I believe the answer is:
hearty
'substantial and nourishing' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the ray cooked' is the wordplay.
'cooked' indicates an anagram.
'the'+'ray'='theray'
'theray' is an anagram of 'HEARTY'.
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for hearty that I've seen before include "Wholesome and substantial, meal say" , "thumping backs?" , "Exuberant" , "Jovial fellow" , "Genial" .)