Recipe of the Week – Lucy’s Pan-fried Cod, Avocado Mousse, Squid & Chorizo Salsa

23rd January 2013

We have decided it’s high time we wangled a recipe from one of our chalet chefs every week until the end of the season! It seems a waste to have all these wonderful chefs at our finger tips and not share a recipe or two with you.

So, for those of you who can’t make it out to our chalets this year then this will bring a litte taster of F&P into your own homes and you’ll just have to make sure a stay with us is on the cards next year!  For those of you heading out here on holiday with us then hopefully this will get you excited about what is in store for your taste buds.  And for those of you have just left us whose tummy’s are feeling deprived and are missing your chef’s culinary skills then give these recipes a try!

First up is chef Lucy Wigglesworth from Chalet Le Christophe, Meribel with her delicious main course of Cod, Avocado Mousse, Squid & Chorizo Salsa.  The presentation and explotion of flavours here is a real crowd-pleaser; a great one for a dinner party to impress or a candlelight supper a deux.

lucy-dec-2012-main

PAN-FRIED COD, AVOCADO MOUSSE, SQUID & CHORIZO SALSA

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 cod fillets

10 slices chorizo

A bunch of chives finely sliced

Half a bunch of fresh coriander finely sliced

6-8 potatoes for mashing

1 roasted red pepper cut into cubes

2 ripe tomatoes cut into cubes

Handful of black olives, sliced

4 baby squid finely sliced

Butter

1 ripe avocado

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp water

Olive oil to taste

Salt

Pepper

Method

· Preheat your oven to 180 degrees

· Trim your cod fillets into even portions and into nice and neat rectangles, set aside.

· Keep the trimmings, cover these in olive oil and heat for 10 minutes. Drain and discard oil.

· To make the avocado puree add the avocado to a blender with the lime juice and water. Blend until smooth and season with olive oil, salt and pepper.

· Peel and boil your potatoes until soft – you should be able to put a fork in them easily so they break apart.

· While your potatoes are cooking start on your squid and chorizo salsa

· For the squid salsa, finely slice all but 4 of your chorizo. Fry in pan with some garlic and add roasted red peppers, olives and squid cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, half of the chives and all of the coriander.

· To make the chorizo crisps, place your 4 remaining slices on paper parchment and place in your hot oven for 5 minutes until crisp.

· When the potatoes are soft drain these completely of water and mash. Add some butter and the rest of the finely chopped chives. Season to taste. Then carefully fold through the cooked cod trimmings so as to not break them up.

· Finally pan fry your cod fillets so just cooked. A couple of minutes on each side should do depending on thickness, but if you want to be sure then press the fish with the back of a spoon and the and if the flesh ‘cracks’ or begins to flake then it is ready.

· It is important to warm your plates before plating up and ensure all elements (other than the avocado) are warmed through.

· Assemble your dish with care!

· There is no right or wrong way of presenting this dish, but see the photo for Lucy’s presentation ideas.

Please note that if you are not a fan of Cod then you can use any other meaty white fish as a substitute, for example, Monk Fish.

lucy-dec-cod-main-2012

Do let us know how you get on with this recipe and any photo-graphic evidence would be fantastic.  We challenge you to live up to Lucy’s perfectionist standard!

Happy cooking…and eating.

Holly x