Cornish cod loin with spaghetti, wild garlic pesto, crispy pancetta, pangrattato
- Main
- Medium
- 4
- 60 minutes
PT1H
Paul Ainsworth serves up his simple baked cod loin recipe atop a bed of spaghetti, coated in a wild garlic pesto and studded with rich, crispy pancetta. If you have more time to cook, rubbing the fish in salt and setting aside in the fridge for a couple of hours before cooking will firm up the flesh for baking.
Ingredients
Cod loin
- 600g of cod loin , cut into 4 equal portions
- 400g of spaghetti
- 100g of pancetta , or smoked streaky bacon
- 200ml of fish stock, or vegetable stock (good quality)
- 60g of pine nuts , toasted
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 100g of crème fraîche
- 20g of basil , chopped
- 20g of parsley , chopped
- 20g of wild garlic , chopped
- 50g of butter , plus extra for greasing
- 25g of vegetable oil
Wild garlic pesto
- 30g of basil
- 30g of wild garlic
- 100g of pine nuts , toasted
- 10g of lemon juice
- 30g of Parmesan , grated
- 100g of olive oil
- salt , to taste
Pangrattato
- 250g of sourdough bread, broken into pieces
- 4 garlic cloves , finely grated (preferably microplaned)
- 20g of thyme leaves
- 1 lemon , zested
- salt , to taste
- 50g of butter
To serve
- 20g of wild garlic , chopped
- wild garlic flowers
Equipment
- Pestle and mortar
- Food processor
Method
1
To begin, make the wild garlic pesto. Place the basil, wild garlic and pine nuts in a pestle, grind to a course paste then gradually grind in the rest of the ingredients until you reach a pesto consistency
- 30g of basil
- 30g of wild garlic
- 100g of pine nuts , toasted
- 10g of lemon juice
- 30g of Parmesan , grated
- 100g of olive oil
- salt , to taste
2
To make the pangrattato, add all of the ingredients to food processor and blitz until broken down into fine breadcrumbs
- 1 lemon , zested
- 250g of sourdough bread, broken into pieces
- 4 garlic cloves , finely grated (preferably microplaned)
- 20g of thyme leaves
- salt , to taste
- 50g of butter
3
Place a pan over a medium heat, add the butter and once foaming, add the breadcrumb mixture. Roast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and have a nice crunch. Place on a tray and set
aside
4
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
5
Place a large pan of heavily salted water over a high heat and bring to the boil
6
When ready to cook, lightly season the cod loin and place on a buttered baking tray. Bake for 10–12 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to rest in a warm place
- 600g of cod loin , cut into 4 equal portions
7
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Meanwhile, add the vegetable oil to a heavy-based pan and fry the pancetta until crispy and brown. Add the butter for an extra crisp finish, then deglaze with the stock. Allow to reduce slightly then add 300g of the wild garlic pesto, the pine nuts, lemon juice and crème fraîche
8
Add the fresh herbs to the sauce. Drain the spaghetti, tip into the sauce and stir until everything is well-coated
- 20g of wild garlic , chopped
- 20g of basil , chopped
- 20g of parsley , chopped
9
To serve, divide the spaghetti between plates and top with the baked cod. Add an even layer of pangrattato to the cod, then garnish with some chopped wild garlic and a few wild garlic flowers
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Cornish cod loin with spaghetti, wild garlic pesto, crispy pancetta, pangrattato
