Recipes

A favourite from Henrietta Green. The secret to poaching cod, or indeed all fish, is to use a well-flavoured liquid such as a court-bouillon (see recipe) or fish stock. It is also important to simmer it over a very low heat so that the liquid hardly trembles, with only the odd bubble rising to the surface, otherwise you'll toughen the fish's texture

Serves 4

    4 cod steaks, weighing 170-225g (6-8oz) each
    30g (1oz) pine kernels
    5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1 garlic clove, chopped
    30g (1oz) capers
    2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
    4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
    Bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    Sea salt and black pepper

For the Court-bouillon

    1 carrot, thinly sliced
    1 small onion, thinly sliced
    1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
    Sprig of parsley
    Sprig of thyme
    150ml (¼ pint) dry white wine
    2 black peppercorns

Method

Make the court-bouillon by putting the carrot, onion, celery, parsley and thyme in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the cod steaks, along with the white wine and 575ml (1 pint) of water. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and the peppercorns. Bring the liquid to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the vegetables to release their flavour.

Add the fish, turn down the heat very low and poach gently for about 5-7 minutes, until the fish flesh turns a translucent white right through to the centre, but is still quite firm. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish steaks to a serving dish. Strain the liquid, discarding the vegetables and return it to the pan. Bring it to the boil and boil rapidly to reduce it by about two-thirds.

Meanwhile fry the pine kernels in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil until golden. Mix them in a bowl with the garlic, capers, anchovies, tomatoes and parsley. Stir in the rest of the oil and about 5 tablespoons of the poaching liquid. Season and pour the sauce over the cod. Leave it to cool for at least 1 hour to allow the flavours to seep into the fish.