Salted cod suits very much garlic and also greens (I so wish I could get amaranth greens in Cumbria!) but also sweet beetroot. In parts of Greece we add ground almonds to the aliada but here I decided to use the almonds in the coating of the fish instead.
I also thought that I would marry the residual saltiness of the cod with a roasted sweet potato and roasted garlic sauce (we normally use raw garlic for the aliada and white potato as opposed to sweet).
Below is a photo where the cod has been used to make croquettes and the sweet potato has been piped onto a plate for a smarter presentation or even an offering of the dish as an amuse bouche.
Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)
For the cod
- 300g of desalinated cod, cut in large bitesize pieces
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 3 tbsp panko crumbs
- 3 tbsp almond flakes
- 1 egg
- Extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil for frying
For the sweet potato garlic sauce
- 130g of the salted cod tail piece
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 pepper corns
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and extra for drizzling
- 4 cloves of garlic in their skin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Method
Preheat the oven to 1900C.
Use a fork to prick the sweet potato and bake till soft, approx. 45 minutes
Roast the garlic cloves at the same time. Put the cloves on a piece of kitchen foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap the foil around the cloves and bake them until soft. Check after 30 minutes but depending on how big the cloves are, they may take up to 40-45 minutes.
Start by boiling the cod tail in order to get some stock for the aliada. Put the tail in a saucepan, add 300ml of water, the bay leaf and pepper corns and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook slowly for about 20 minutes. You should have a small cup of stock.
When the garlic has cooked, leave to cool for a few minutes and peel. Put in a mortar, add a few sea salt flakes and break up to a fine paste. Add the olive oil and whisk.
Peel the sweet potato and put its flesh in a bowl. Use a masher to mash and then pass through a colander for a super soft texture. Add the garlic and olive oil, lemon juice and zest and stir with a small spatula to fully incorporate. Add some pepper and stir to mix. Transfer to a piping bag.
To cook the cod, wash and pat dry the cod pieces. Season with some freshly ground black pepper and salt.
Place the flour in one shallow plate, crush the almond flakes with your hands and mix them with the panko crumbs in another plate and beat the egg in a bowl.
Bring a frying pan with oil halfway up its sides to a medium to high heat. Dust the cod pieces in the flour, dip in the egg and coat with the panko/almond mix. Fry turning over half way through the cooking until golden and crispy.
To serve, spoon some sweet potato puree on each plate and add 2-3 pieces of cod for each person.
