This is a recipe that I created a while back but didn’t write up. I wish I had done it sooner as it is simply brilliant and delicious, especially when you have caught the Cod yourself! The dish could easily utilise any white fish, so sometimes spare the Cod and try some other white fish or indeed any type of fish - serves 2.
Pan Fried Cod Fillet with Garlic Mustard Mash and Wild Sorrel sauce
Ingredients:
2 Portion sized sections of Cod Fillet
Tbsp of Plain Flour
6 Large Potatoes
Handful of Garlic Mustard Leaves (stems and stalks removed)
Small white Onion
Tbsp of Butter
Splash of Milk
Maldon Salt
Black Pepper
2 Handfuls of picked Sorrel Leaves
Tbsp of Crème Fraiche
100 ml of Chicken Stock
Olive Oil
Firstly this dish is really simple to cook, no expertise required. Firstly, get a medium sized saucepan on the stove. Half fill it with water, season generously with salt and heat until boiling. Peel and chop your potatoes into even sized pieces and then boil until tender.
To make the Sorrel sauce peel and finely dice the onion. In a small pan place some Olive Oil and a small amount of Butter and heat. Add the chopped Onions and then gently fry until translucent and sweet but not coloured. Take your Sorrel leaves and roughly chop, when the onions are cooked add the Sorrel leaves and quickly fry. 30 seconds later add the warmed stock and bring to the boil reducing if the sauce is a little to thin, add the Crème Fraiche and blend the sauce. Finally check the seasoning and then pass the sauce through a sieve and then place back in a clean pan ready to re-heat on serving.
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The fish is ultimately simple, make sure your fillets are nicely prepared they should be even in size and rectangular. Season both Cod fillets and then dust with flour. Heat a frying pan with Olive Oil and place the lightly floured fish skin side down in the hot oil and fry. The oil should not be burning hot and should fry the Cod skin until brown and crispy then turn over and turn off the heat under the pan allowing to sit for a minute.
Warm your plates.
The potatoes should now be tender and cooked, drain and then mash whilst still hot. Add a splash of Milk, seasoning and the butter stir in and taste checking the seasoning. Finely chop the Garlic Mustard leaves (if Wild Garlic is in season, you can use these instead) and also stir in reserving a small amount for garnish.
Now to plate up, start by placing a large quenelle of mashed potato in the centre of the warm plate. Then place the Cod on top of the Garlic Mustard mashed Potato crispy skin side up. Then spoon your warm Sorrel sauce over one end of the Cod and Potato allowing it to pour onto the plate. Garnish the plate with the reserved shredded Garlic Mustard leaves and serve immediately!
I did add a few steamed Asparagus spears to my dish and it worked well, so you may want to do this yourself!!
Crispy skinned tender flaky cod on soft creamy but mildy garlicky mash with a deeply green tangy herby sauce. Simple and delicious!
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