[ RECIPE ] Cod with Puy Lentils & Red Wine Sauce

When people think of fish one of the first types of fish they’ll think of is Cod. From the great memories of fish and chips with your family by the seaside, to ‘Chippy Tea’s’ on a Friday night, Cod was always a hit! There are however so many other species of White fish that are just as tasty to try out and are of course, more sustainable (there are more of them).

The recipe below was inspired by my new book ‘Rick Stein’s Fish & Shellfish’ and he recommends fish such as: Coley, Haddock, Pollock & Hapuka to be used as alternatives to this recipe.

The recipe itself is simple to make, yet has an artistic look about it that you’d be proud to have ordered in a restaurant. Give it a try, either with Cod or one of the other white fishes!

 

(Serves 2)

– Ingredients

75g Unsalted Butter
2 x 150g Cod Fillets (or alternative fish mentioned above)Sea Salt & Ground Pepper
50g Onion
Small Pinch x Ground Allspice, Ground Cloves & Grated Nutmeg
Large Pinch x Curry Powder
200ml x Red Wine
200ml x Chicken Stock
1 tsp x Sugar
1/4 tsp x Salt
1 tbsp x Plain Flour

The Lentils
100g Puy Lentils (already cooked)
150ml x Fish Stock (if using stock cube only use half)
1 x Whole Clove
1 x Bay Leaf
2 x Slices Peeled Onion

– Method

1. Add the ingredients for the lentils into a frying pan (on a medium-high heat) and simmer until there is very little liquid remaining, usually 5-8 minutes.
2. Remove the lentils from the pan into a bowl and cover.
3. Carefully wipe out the frying pan with kitchen paper and then melt 50g of the butter.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (fan-assisted) then season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides and brush with some of the melted butter.
5. Place the fish on a baking tray and in the oven for 15 minutes, turn once at the half-way point.
6. Now make the sauce by adding the onion and spices to the melted butter in the pan then fry for about 10 minutes.
7. Add the wine, chicken stock, sugar and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the sauce by three-quarters until it is almost sticky to the touch and concentrated in flavour.
8. Using a sieve, strain the sauce into a large saucepan and place back on the heat.
9. Mix the remaining 25g butter with the flour to make a paste and then whisk in the paste, little by little and simmer for a few minutes until thickened.
10. Serve the dish by placing the puy lentils onto a warm plate, then add the cod and spoon the sauce around the fish and lentils.