RICH AND SAUCY MEDITERRANEAN COD

Rich and saucy Mediterranean cod image

A delicious way to serve a cod loin, with rich Mediterranean tomato-y flavours and juices to mop up with crusty bread.

Provided by davidnunn1

Time 1h

Yield Serves 2

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

2 cod loins approx 150g each
cherry tomatoes, halved
mushrooms (button - whole, else halved or quarterd into chunks
half a red pepper, sliced into strips
a red chlli, sliced
2 red onions cut into wedges
1-2 tsp thyme
1-2 tsp oregano
big glug of olive oil
2 tbsp butter (optional)
100ml dry white wine
salt and pepper
8 small potatoes
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp smoked paprika
lemon wedges and lemon zest
crusty bread

Steps:

Precise amounts of vegetables not given as you just need to use more of the ones you prefer! Be generous with the tomatoes though. Can also add olives, broccoli or, really, any other of your favourite vegetables (I even used Brussels sprouts today). Start by seasoning the cod with salt and pepper, brush over some olive oil and some lemon zest Leave to infuse.
Par boil potatoes until soft to the touch (no need to peel). Heat oven to 190 / (170C fan). When cool enough to hande, cut into 0.5-1cm thick slices. Add to a bowl along with the rest of the ingredients (except the fish and wine). Mix thoroughly, then when all vegetables are coated, tip into a shallow glass baking dish. Gently drizzle in the wine without distrubing the vegetables (don't want to wash off the oil, herbs and spices!).
Bake in the preheated oven until the juices are bubbling and the tomatoes are beginning to soften (about 15 minutes). Then gently rest the cod pieces on top of the almost-cooked vegetables and return to the oven. After five minutes, you can lay a little butter on top of the fish to give a bit of extra flavour (but this is optional). Return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes - try not to over-cook the cod.
Remove the dish from the oven. There should now be a delicious puddle of richly flavoured juice at the bottom. Transfer the vegetables from the dish into serving bowls, then carefully transfer the cod pieces (try not to break them - use a fish slice, as they should be quite fragile) and place on top of the vegetables. Ladle the lovely juice over the cod and allow it to dribble into the vegetables.
Serve with warmed crusty bread to mop up the juice!