We have a new fishmonger who brings his van to the village on Fridays now so I thought I’d try out his wares. I bought a fabulous piece of thick cod loin fillet and it was just delicious – way better than anything I can buy in a supermarket. I prefer simple treatments for cooking fish and invest the effort in making interesting side dishes; this Savoy cabbage recipe cooked with onion, bacon, stock and beer goes beautifully and is perfect for low carb eating too.

Serves 4

• 4 x 200g pieces of unskinned, thick cod loin fillet
• 1 small Savoy cabbage, cored and sliced into thin strips
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsps light olive oil
• 1 x 100g pack of pancetta, cut into thin strips
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 300ml chicken stock
• 300ml pale ale
• 2 tbsps finely chopped curly parsley
• Salt and black pepper

To make…

• First, prep the cod. Lay it skin side down and sprinkle heavily with salt. This seasons and firms up the fish. Leave it for 20 minutes rinse off the salt and dry the fish with some kitchen roll. Arrange the fish, flesh side down onto a greased baking sheet. Melt half the butter, brush the cod with a little of it. Sprinkle the skin with a little salt and pepper.
• For the cabbage, put it into a large pan of boiling, salted water and bring back to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes, drain into a large sieve or colander and refresh it under cold running water. This stops it cooking any further a retains the bright green colour.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the pancetta and fry until crisp and lightly golden. Add the rest of the melted butter, the onion and garlic and fry for 10 minutes until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Add the chicken stock and the beer and reduce the volume by three-quarters over a high heat.
• Whilst the liquid is reducing, preheat the grill to high. Set a timer and grill the cod for 8 minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is cooked through.
• Go back to the beer mixture and add in the Savoy cabbage and the rest of the butter. Cook gently for 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Check the seasoning – it’s more likely to need pepper not salt; add the parsley and keep warm. Put some plates on to warm too.
• Both the fish and the cabbage should be ready by now. Divide the cabbage between the four plates and top with the fish. Enjoy!

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