STUFFED COD WITH NEW POTATOES
Serves:
4-6
Preparation 15 minutes
Cook 1 hour
What you need:
750g new potatoes, thickly sliced
1 bunch spring onions, cut into short lengths
3 tbsp olive oil
750g piece cod fillet, skin on
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaved parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp capers, finely chopped
Grated rind of ½ lemon
½ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
1 large free-range egg, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
What you do:
Preheat the oven to 220°C/ fan oven 200°C/gas mark 7.
Arrange the sliced potatoes and onions over the base of a deep roasting tin and season.
Sprinkle with two tablespoons of the oil and seasoning and toss together to coat.
Bake for 15 minutes until starting to brown.
Meanwhile, rinse the cod under cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Cut into two equal pieces.
Mix together the breadcrumbs, herbs, capers, lemon rind, nutmeg and seasoning.
Beat the egg with the remaining tablespoon of oil and add to the breadcrumbs to bind.
Pat the mixture over the surface of one piece of cod (on the opposite side to the skin).
Arrange the other piece of cod on top to cover.
Slash the skin on each piece a couple of times, and then tie neatly into a parcel with string.
Brush with oil.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and stir to loosen.
Lay the cod on top and cook for 15 minutes in the hot oven.
Turn down the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/ gas mark 4 and cook for a further 20-25 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the flesh flakes easily.
Remove the string and serve in slices with the potatoes and a green vegetable.
COD (OR POLLOCK) WITH HERB AND TOMATO BUTTER
What you need:
2 portions of white fish (approx 180g)
1 plum tomato (peeled and finely chopped)
Parsley (chopped)
5 or 6 Basil leaves
1 lemon
50g of butter
Potatoes (sliced thinly)
What you do:
Start by sauteeing your potatoes – while they cook you can make the rest of the dish, but remember to keep moving them about occasionally, too.
Heat a little oil in a pan and add the pieces of fish, turn the heat to medium and cook on each side for approx 3 mins (depending on size and thickness of the fish).
When the fish is cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm.
Pour the oil from the pan, return to the heat and add the butter, continue to cook.
As the butter begins to turn a light golden colour, throw in the basil leaves and allow to crisp up. As the butter turns golden brown add the chopped parsley and squeeze in the lemon juice.
At this stage the butter should be golden and frothy – add the peeled and chopped tomato.
As soon as the tomatoes have been added to the butter, spoon generously over the fish and serve with the potatoes.
Stuffed cod recipe from the WI Cookbook, The First 100 Years Mary Gwynn, with photography by Jan Baldwin (Ebury Press, £20). Cod with herb and tomato butter courtesy of Seafish.
