Saturday Lunch: Pan-seared Cod with Leek and Potato sauce

Am. and I were out grocery shopping in Waitrose when we came across the published ‘recipe of the week’.  This week it was by Heston Blumenthal and when reading it, it did seem a bit complicated to me. Thankfully, Am. was not dissuaded and we ended up cooking a very nice lunch that was easy and elegant. The sauce had subtle, deep flavours that left you feeling very content and satisfied and went very well paired with a lightly seared cod fillet.

Disclaimer: when I say ‘we cooked’ – I actually mean to say my dear friend Am. was definitely the driving force behind the dish. My contribution was my enthusiasm and ability to operate a blender. That’s about it J

I decided to talk about the recipe on the blog to show how simple and easy it to cook a lovely meal at home. It’s quite common to feel overwhelmed at the thought of cooking and this recipe proved to me how relatively simple it can be.

You start by making the sauce. Slice 2 small potatoes and half an onion and then cook them in butter for 10 minutes. Then slice about 2 leeks and fry those as well in the pan for another 5 minutes. Add about a cup of fish broth and let the whole thing simmer for another 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of whipped cream and a tbsp of milk and stir.

Let it cool for a bit and then blend the whole thing using a blender/liquidiser. Sieve it so you end up with smooth silky sauce which you season with salt and pepper.

For the fish, all you have to do is sprinkle salt on either sides, pan fry in a little butter for about 2 mins each side.

You can also chop another potato into cubes, boil it for a bit and fry it. You then plate the dish, by placing the potatoes first, spooning the sauce over and then placing the cod on top. The finishing touch is to sprinkle some chives and ta-dah!

For the exact details, here is the recipe:

http://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/h/heston_s_pan_seared_cod_with_leek_and_potato_sauce.html