Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
Serves 2
By Matt TebbuttFrom Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- ½ tbsp ground coriander
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the date purée
- 200g/7oz dates
- 4 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp minced fresh root ginger
- 1–2 oranges, juice only
For the poached cod
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 150ml/5fl oz white wine
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 star anise
- 2 thick cod fillets
To serve
- 1 medjool date, chopped
- 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp coriander cress, to garnish
Method
To make the onions, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the onions, garlic, cinnamon and cardamom and fry very gently, stirring occasionally, until caramelised. This will take around 45–50 minutes. Stir in the ground coriander at the end. Season with salt and pepper.
To make the date purée, add all of the ingredients to a blender and food processor and blend, adding a little water to loosen, as needed.
To make the poached cod, add all the ingredients, except the cod, to a pan with 1 litre/1¾ pints water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to a simmer and place the fish in the pan. Poach for 8-10 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and pat dry with kitchen roll.
Spoon the date purée onto a plate, spoon over the onions and add the cod. Garnish with the dates, pine nuts, chilli flakes and coriander cress and serve.
