Like many other people in this world my fish recipes repertoire tends to stall somewhere around a creamy fish pie. This is then tirelessly rotated with a prawn curry/pasta/salad dish (give me a prawn and I'm a happy girl). For a self confessed carnivoire, fish is not the first thing I hone in on when scouring a menu so it leaves me somewhat clueless when I come to cook it for myself.
In the interests of continuing on my month of healthier eating (the Quality Street tin is still haunting me), I thought a fish recipe was essential. I know there are so many different types of beautiful fish, so many recipes to choose from that the humble cod could easily get looked over. However, it's a great place to start and I love the idea of getting back to basics (ish) with this lovely sounding recipe by Gordon Ramsay (kindly recommended to me by my Twitter buddy @DarrylCornelius - thanks Darryl!) Hands up who doesn't want to know about something new and exciting to do with a fillet of cod? Forget batter, mushy peas and chips. The cod is putting on his glad rags and getting the GR treatment. And wow does it scrub up nicely!
A few notes to make about this recipe and a couple of tips. Read this recipe through at least two or three times before starting just so you can become accustomed to it. I found it slightly confusing and wanted to make sure I was reading everything correctly and that I was making the best use of my time. So while the potatoes were cooking, I also popped on the lentils and made up the vinaigrette. Note that this recipe doesn't tell you how to make a vinaigrette so you could buy off the shelf but they are so easy to do it literally takes 30 seconds. I used a basic recipe of 4 fl oz of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, pinch of caster sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk this all together and voila! Then take the two tablespoons of this vinaigrette and add the one teaspoon of Dijon mustard to it as instructed on the ingredients. When I tasted it, I thought it was rather strong but once you mix it with the lentils at the end it becomes more subtle and is absolutely delicious! So don't be frightened by the mustard!
The other thing I did was turn the oven onto a low heat before I started. You can warm up your plates while preparing your food as well as having it on stand by to keep your potatoes at the right temperature once they are ready. It's also worth getting all the utensils out of the cupboard (like trays for the potatoes and the lentils) just to save you searching and faffing. These are all small things which I thought would be helpful to suggest to somebody who isn't a seasoned recipe follower or would like some extra pointers. In total, the recipe took me just over an hour to complete.
The final result was delicious! For a lady who doesn't like capers (I know this is a shocking confession for a foodie), in the interests of staying true to the recipe I left them in and boy am I glad I did! I am converted! Even my husband ate them and he is known to pick them off his plate. The flavours all worked extremely well together. The potatoes were so yummy and the lentils absolutely divine. I was really very pleased with the result. An hour well spent! Gordon Ramsay, you rock!
P.S. There were no Belle Fontaine potatoes in my supermarket so I opted for some good quality boiling potatoes (Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Vivaldi potatoes) and hoped for the best. The result was still great!
Cod with Crispy potatoes and mustard lentils [Gordon Ramsey – A Chef for All Seasons]
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g even-sized Belle Fontaine potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fillets of cod, about 125g each, with skin
100g puy lentils
1 carrot 1
½ small onion
1 small stick celery
15g butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons of vinaigrette mixed with 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 12 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool until you can handle them – they are best peeled hot. Cut into neat dice and toss with one tablespoon of the oil. Spread out on a tray, season and let the potatoes absorb the oil as they cool.
2. Season the skin side of the cod with salt, rubbing it in nicely. Leave for 30 mins. This helps to dry out the skin
3. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the carrot, onion and celery. Simmer for 15 mins or until just cooked. Do not overcook or the lentils will break down. Drain immediately and discard the vegetables. Spread the lentils on a tray to cool. This stops them cooking further
4. When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil with the butter in a frying pan, and gently sauté the shallot for about 5 minutes. Scoop out the shallot and reserve. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, raise the heat and tip in the diced potato. Cook until golden brown, turning as necessary. Remove, mix with the shallot and capers, and keep warm.
5. Wipe out the pan, and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in it. When hot, add the fish, skin side down. Cook until the skin crisps up nicely. Cook for 90% of total time on the skin side, then flip over to just brown the other side lightly. Cooking time depends on thickness of the fillet, but is about 5 minutes in all. Check if the fish is cooked by pressing with the back of a fork. It should be lightly springy.
6. Reheat the lentils briefly in a saucepan, season and stir in the vinaigrette and chives. Sit a cod fillet on each warmed plate, and spoon over the lentils and then the potatoes. Serve hot.
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