cod with chorizo crust

I don’t often get the opportunity to cook with fish so when I do I go all out for big, meaty indulgences. Here I’m using one of my favourite ingredients, chorizo, to lend some poke to the flaky white fish. Parsley adds a welcome freshness and helps round out the flavours.

Cod with a chorizo crust:

300g piece of cod loin

Handful of breadcrumbs

200g chorizo, diced

1 teaspoon parsley

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fry the chorizo in a little oil until browned. Don’t drain the pan, but put half the chorizo in a food processor with the breadcrumbs and parsley. Whizz until you have rust-coloured rubble. Taste (be careful here, I could easily eat a mountain of this on its own), maybe adding a splash of red wine vinegar if you think it could handle it.

Press one side of the cod loin into the breadcrumbs, packing them densely. Fry in the same pan as before on the breadcrumb side until browned (about 4 minutes), then pop the pan in the oven for another 8 minutes. The cod will be ready when it flakes apart when squeezed between your fingers.

After removing the pan from the oven, toss the remaining chorizo in the pan to warm through, and serve with wild rice and creme fraiche.