If you can’t find any live cockles, you can buy a jar of cooked and shelled cockles instead.
Ingredients
For the cod
- 350g/12oz centre-cut
cod fillet, pin boned and skinned - 40g/1½oz
sea salt - knob of
butter
For the mashed potato
- 2 large
potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks - 125g/4½oz unsalted
butter - 125ml/4½fl oz
double cream
For the parsley sauce
- 100g/3½oz
cockles, thoroughly washed to remove any sand or silt - 1 large bunch curly
parsley, leaves picked, stalks reserved, both chopped - 2
shallots, chopped - 150ml/5½fl oz glass
white wine - 25g/1oz
butter - 25g/1oz
flour - 150ml/5½fl oz
double cream - 150ml/5½fl oz whole
milk - 30g/1oz
crème fraîche -
salt - 1 tsp
cayenne pepper - 1
lemon, juice only
Method
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For the cod, preheat the oven to 330F/450F/Gas 8.
-
Lightly salt the cod, wrap in cling film and leave for twenty minutes. Wash the salt off and cut the cod in half.
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For the mashed potato, cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water until soft. Drain and return to the pan to dry out a little.
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For the parsley sauce, give any open cockles a sharp tap on the work surface, discard any that do not close immediately.
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Heat a heavy-based pan until hot. Add the cockles, parsley stalks, shallots and wine. Put the lid on and steam until the cockles open. Drain in a colander, reserving the stock. Discard any cockles that have not opened. Pass the stock through a muslin cloth.
-
In a clean pan, melt the butter and then stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for a few minutes, then gradually add the stock, stirring all the time. Then add the cream, milk and crème fraîche. Season, to taste, with salt, cayenne pepper and lemon juice.
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For the cod, heat the butter in an ovenproof frying pan. Add the cod then transfer to the oven for eight minutes.
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Meanwhile, for the parsley sauce, pick the cockles from their shells and add to the sauce along with the parsley. Keep warm, but do not boil.
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For the mashed potato, push the potatoes through a potato ricer or a drum sieve (alternatively use a vegetable masher). In a pan, melt the butter and cream together. Fold through the mash and season with salt and white pepper.
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To serve, add the mash to serving bowls. Top with the cod and parsley sauce.
