Roasted Chatham Island Blue Cod Recipe

Roast Chatham Blue cod, fennel, olive and pine nuts, minted chilli yoghurt. Recipe by by Peter Gordon from Homeland. Photos by Jono Parker.

For 2 main courses – serve with steamed kūmara or roast parsnips

INGREDIENTS

2 large fillets 'Chatham Blue' cod, defrosted and patted dry
Leaves from 4 stalks thyme
3 tsp (1 Tbsp) olive oil
1 head fennel, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
8 - 12 black olives
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red or yellow capsicum, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
¼ lemon, thinly sliced, removing seeds if you prefer
½ tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed (optional, or use fennel seeds)
1 Tbsp toasted pinenuts
¼ cup Greek yoghurt
12 mint leaves, torn
A few pinches chilli flakes – I used Aleppo chilli

METHOD

1.     Oven 180°C fan forced (190°C bake), position shelf in the upper half of the oven
2.     Sprinkle the thyme over the cod, drizzle with 1 tsp oil in total on both sides and season with flaky salt
3.     Place an ovenproof pan over medium high heat
4.     When it’s hot place the cod in and cook 1 minute to colour golden
5.     Remove to a clean plate, cooked side facing up, and put the pan back on the heat
6.     Add the remaining oil, fennel, olives and garlic and cook until the fennel begins to caramelise, stirring frequently
7.     Add the capsicum, sliced lemon, coriander seeds and pine nuts and cook until wilted, stirring frequently
8.     Level the fennel mixture out in the pan
9.     Place the fish on top and put the pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes
10.While it’s cooking, mix the yoghurt with the mint
11.Serve the cod drizzled with the minty yoghurt and sprinkle on the chilli flakes