30 Minute tasty crusted cod

TASTY CRUSTED COD, MY MASHY PEAS, TARTARE SAUCE, WARM GARDEN SALAD

Ingredients 

Mashy peas:

• 4 medium baking potatoes
• 1 head of broccoli
• 500g frozen peas
• a large knob of butter
• 1–2 dessert spoons mint sauce

Tartare sauce:

• 3 cornichons
• 1 heaped teaspoon small capers
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 a 30g tin of anchovy fillets in oil
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 a 400g jar of good-quality mayonnaise
• sweet paprika, for dusting

Cod:

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 x 600g (or 6 x 180g) fillets of cod, skin on, scaled and pin-boned
• 200g chunk of white crusty bread
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 a 30g tin of anchovy fillets in oil
• 1/2 a 280g jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• a small bunch of fresh basil
• 1/2–1 fresh red chilli
• 40g Parmesan cheese
• 1 lemon
• balsamic vinegar
• a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
• a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme

Seasonings:

• olive oil
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt & black pepper

Salad:

• 6 rashers of pancetta
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 x 100g bag of prewashed watercress
• 1 x 100g bag of prewashed rocket

To serve:

• a bottle of chilled white wine

METHOD

To start:

Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Fill and boil the kettle. Turn the grill on to full whack. Put a large saucepan on a low heat. Put the standard blade attachment into the food processor.

Mashy peas:

Quickly peel the potatoes (or leave the skins on if you prefer) and chop into 2cm chunks, add to the saucepan with a pinch of salt and cover with boiled water. Put a lid on the pan and turn the heat to medium. Trim and discard the bare end of the broccoli stalk. Slice the rest up and add to the potatoes. Break the florets into even-sized pieces and set aside.

Cod:

Put a few good lugs of olive oil into a large roasting tray, sprinkle with salt & pepper and scatter over a teaspoon of fennel seeds. Rub and toss the fish fillets in the flavours, then place skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil, then put under the grill in the middle of the oven for 5 minutes while you make the topping. Roughly chop the bread and add to the food processor. Whiz, adding 2 peeled cloves of garlic with a drizzle of oil from the tin of anchovies as it’s whizzing, then tip the breadcrumb mixture into a bowl. Put half the tin of anchovy fillets into the empty food processor with the drained sun-dried tomatoes, 2 cloves of peeled garlic, basil, chilli (stalk removed) and the chunk of Parmesan. Finely grate in the zest from the lemon, then squeeze in the juice. Add a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar and whiz to a paste. You may need to scrape round the sides between whizzes. Get the fish out of the oven. Spoon and spread this paste over each fillet in a thick even layer, then scatter over the breadcrumbs. Drizzle a little olive oil over the thyme and rosemary sprigs, then lay on top of the two fillets and put back under the grill on the middle shelf for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Mashy peas:

Add the peas and the broccoli florets to the potatoes, and put the lid back on.

Salad:

Put a medium frying pan on a medium heat and add the pancetta. Leave to crisp up, tossing occasionally.

Tartare sauce:

Quickly rinse out the food processor and add 3 cornichons, a heaped teaspoon of capers, a small bunch of fresh parsley and half the tin of anchovies and their oil. Pulse a few times with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Whiz until fairly smooth, then transfer to a small bowl and add 1/2 the jar of mayo. Mix well, adding the juice of the rest of the lemon, tasting and tweaking as necessary. Sprinkle with the sweet paprika, drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and take to the table.

Salad:

Once the rashers of pancetta are crispy and golden, turn the heat to low, then crush 2 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the frying pan. Take the pan off the heat and add 5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and shake the pan about. Use a wooden spoon to break the crispy pancetta into pieces in the pan.

Mashy peas:

Drain the veg, let it steam dry for a few minutes, then tip back into the pan. Add the butter, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt & pepper, 1 to 2 dessertspoons of mint sauce and roughly mash about ten times. Put in a serving bowl.

Cod:

Check the fish, and when the crust is golden and crisp take it out of the oven and straight to the table along with your bowl of mashy peas.

Salad:

At the very last minute tip the salad leaves into the pan of warm dressing and toss quickly with your hands. Take to the table in the pan and serve with chilled white wine.