Spanish-style cod

Serves 1 – easily multiplied

Have just come back from Majorca and really enjoyed the gutsy flavours of the local tapas. Anyway I had lots of leftover bits in the fridge that needed using up when I got back – peppers, toms, garlic, onion etc – so threw this dish together with a little Spanish inspiration. I really liked it, even though it was eaten on a dreary day rather than hot Mediterranean sunshine!

1 cod fillet

¼ red onion, finely sliced

3-4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

¼ small pepper, sliced (or a mini pepper such as Tesco Chiquino peppers)

½ clove garlic, finely chopped

4-5 chorizo slices, cut into strips

3 olives, sliced

½ tin butterbeans, drained

Pinch dried herbs

Hot paprika

Salt and pepper

2 -3 tablespoons red wine

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Drizzle of Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180C Fan.

Layer most of the onions, tomatoes, pepper, garlic, chorizo, olives and butterbeans in a small heatproof dish (I used a small oblong enamel pie tin). Season and add a little hot paprika to taste.

Place the fish on top and season with herbs, a little extra dusting of hot paprika to taste, and more salt and pepper.

Pile the remaining sliced ingredients on top to cover the fish, then spoon over the wine, balsamic and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Cover tightly with foil, allowing a bit of tent space for steam. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and serve with seasonal vegetables, rice or bread.

Fasolakia

Serves 2-4 depending on what you serve with it.

This is a traditional Greek stew that maybe doesn’t sound exciting, but boy I am addicted! The flavours meld together and tastes so summery and this is a great way of using up a glut of runner beans which was the reason for making it. The amount of olive oil is really worth it.

I have eaten masses of this just on its own with crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Or its great with simple grilled fish with a squirt of lemon as in this picture or lamb chops. If you don’t like dill use fresh parsley or marjoram. You can eat hot, warm or at room temperature. It also freezes well.

250g Runner beans, de-stringed and cut into 2 inch diagonal lengths

4 tablespoons good olive oil

1 large onion – half finely chopped and half sliced into half moons

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium potato or 4 new potatoes, sliced into thickish chunks (I don’t bother to peel)

Salt and pepper

Small pinch chilli flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

Water to cover – about a small glass or half a tin canful

Feta cheese, a really thin slice crumbled per serving

Dill or parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

1. wash the prepped runner beans and drain.

2. heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and gently cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of mins, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

3. Add the beans and potatoes and cook for 3-5 mins, coating well in the oil and onions. Season well and add the chilli and dried oregano.

4. Tip in the tomatoes and tomato puree, and pour in some water just to cover. Bring to boil and put on a lid or transfer to a lidded casserole then simmer for 1 hour (or cook slowly in oven at 160C for same time)

5. After an hour if it is too liquid, remove lid and cook for another 10-15 mins. The sauce should be rich and velvety.

6. Sprinkle over chopped dill and crumbled over feta.

Kedgeree

Kedgeree

Serves 1

Haven’t made this lightly spiced rice dish in such a long time, but had some haddock in the freezer which needed eating up. If I had flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds I would have sprinkled in a few for added crunch.

50g basmati rice

Salt

2 cloves

2 cardamom pods

1 smoked haddock fillet, about 100g

¼ pint milk

Bay leaf

Few peppercorns

1 egg

½ onion, finely chopped

1 tsp oil

1 tsp curry powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 tbsp sultanas

1 tbsp petit pois

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cherry tomato, cut into wedges

½ lemon

Boil the rice in boiling salted water with cloves and cardamom for 10 mins until just tender. Refresh under cold water and leave to drain well in a colander.

Place the fish in a frying pan with the milk, bay and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and gently cook fish for about 6-8 mins until cooked. Transfer to a bowl and flake, tip the milk over the top, but discard the bay and peppercorns.

Boil the egg for about 7 mins and then cool under cold running water. Peel and roughly chop half, then slice the remaining half into wedges.

Fry the onion in the oil under softened. Add the curry powder and cayenne and fry for 30 secs more to cook out the rawness of the spices. Add the cold rice, flake fish and moisten with some of the milk. Add the sultanas, peas and chopped egg and cook until the peas are warmed through. Turn off heat and stir in parsley.

Garnish with tomato, remaining egg and lemon wedges for squeezing over

Sea bass with spring veg in under 10 mins

Sea bass and spring veg in under 10 mins!

Serves 1

I love crispy fish but don’t cook it all that much. Not sure why, but this sea bass fillet was half price in a pack of 2 so I snapped it up. It’s a very virtuous dish – probably less than 400 cals I would imagine. I have frozen the other fillet for another time.

1 sea bass fillet, skin on

Seasoning

1 tsp olive oil

5 asparagus spears, tips separated

4 runner beans

1 tsp frozen peas

Half a bag of spinach

¼ lemon

First boil the kettle for the veg.  Season the fish on both sides and heat the oil in a sauté pan. Lay skin side down for about 3 minutes to crisp. Meanwhile boil the runner bean and thick ends of asparagus in salted boiling water for 5 mins.

Turn the fish and continue to fry for about 3 mins. I turned the heat off after a minute as it got quite hot.

Throw in the peas and asparagus tips with the runner beans and cook for 3 mins.

Tip the spinach into a large pan and wilt in a splash of water from the kettle over a low heat. Season.

When the veg is tender and spinach wilted, drain and plate. Add a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil to the fish and place on top of the veg. And that’s it! Clean and fresh and carb free!