STARTER
Cured cod with lemon and radish salad
Soak 24 hr
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
400g sustainably sourced cod fillet
1 litre cold water
100g caster sugar
75g sea salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
Pared zest of 1 lemon
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
For the salad
2 lemons
200g radishes
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
100g watercress
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
The day before, wash the cod under cold water, pat dry with kitchen towel and put in a non-metallic container. Heat the water, add the sugar, salt, fennel and lemon zest, and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Turn off the heat and leave to cool completely, then pour over the fish, add the thyme, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The next day, lift the cod from its brine and pat dry with kitchen towel.
Now start on the salad: cut off the skin and white pith from all the lemons (including the one you pared for the cod marinade), then cut out the individual segments. Slice the radishes as finely as you can (use a mandoline, if you have one) and toss with the lemon segments. Add the thyme, plenty of seasoning and a pinch of caster sugar, and toss again.
Remove the skin from the cod and slice the flesh as thinly as possible. Add the watercress and extra-virgin olive oil to the salad and toss. Divide the salad between four plates, arrange the slices of cod to one side and serve, finishing with a final drizzle of oil, if you like.
⁃ The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US.
MAIN
Sherry-braised chicken with jersey royals and chorizo
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
150g cooking chorizo, sliced
8 skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and black pepper
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
2 stalks fresh rosemary, leaves picked
250ml manzanilla sherry
400ml chicken stock
500g jersey royals, scrubbed clean (halved if large)
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat half the oil in a large casserole and fry the chorizo until golden and releasing its oils. Scoop out and set aside. Season the chicken thighs, brown in the chorizo oil until really golden, then set aside with the chorizo.
Add the onion and celery to the pan, and fry gently for 10 minutes, until lovely and soft, then add the garlic and rosemary, and cook for a few minutes more.
Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, pour in the sherry, turn up the heat and leave to bubble for a minute or two. Add the stock, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the potatoes and simmer for a further 20-25 minutes, until they are tender and the chicken is falling off the bone.
Lift out the chicken and potatoes from the casserole with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a serving dish. Turn up the heat under the casserole and let the sauce bubble away for 10 minutes, to reduce slightly, then season to taste.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and potatoes, scatter with the parsley and serve with crusty bread, for mopping up the juices.
SIDE DISH
Griddled baby gem and spring onion salad with manchego and membrillo dressing
Prep 10 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4
3 baby gems, quartered
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
50g manchego, shaved
1 tbsp sherry or vermouth vinegar
2 tsp membrillo
Salt and black pepper
3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Heat a griddle pan on a high flame. Toss the baby gem and spring onions in the olive oil, then lay them in the hot griddle pan, turning occasionally, until nicely charred all over.
Arrange the little gem quarters and onions in a dish and scatter over the manchego shavings. Whisk the vinegar and membrillo with some salt and pepper until the membrillo has dissolved, then whisk in the extra virgin oil. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.
DESSERT
Coffee crema catalana
Prep 5 min
Infuse 1 hr
Chill 3 hr-overnight
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
1 litre whole milk
4 cardamom pods, cracked
6 large free-range egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
60g caster sugar, plus extra to caramelise
40g cornflour
1 shot (25ml) strong espresso, cooled
Put the milk and cardamom in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then set aside to infuse for at least an hour. Once cool and infused, strain through a fine sieve.
Beat together the eggs, vanilla bean paste and caster sugar until thick, pale and fluffy.
Mix a little of the infused milk with the cornflour to make a thin paste, then add this, the rest of the milk and the cold espresso to the eggs, and beat gently.
Pour into a pan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until you have a very thick custard. Pour through a sieve into a jug, then pour into four 300ml dishes or ramekins, and chill in the fridge for at least three hours, or overnight, until completely chilled and just set – it should be thick and creamy, not set like a creme caramel.
Sprinkle a layer of caster sugar over the top of each crema catalana and caramelise quickly under a very hot grill or, ideally, with a blowtorch. Chill again for an hour before serving.
• José Pizarro is chef/patron of Pizarro and José in London, and The Swan Inn, Esher, Surrey. His latest book, Andalusia: Recipes from Seville and Beyond, is published by Hardie Grant on 30 May at £26. To pre-order a copy for £22.68, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846.
