About the Recipe
Meaty, lightly flavoured cod really benefits from the rich slow simmered flavours of the aubergine, onions and tomatoes, with some sweetness from the sugar, and a tangy punch from the vinegar.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Plain Flour
4 x 225 g Cod Fillets
2Tbsp Rapeseed Oil
4 Sprigs of fresh Rosemary
For the Caponata
6 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Plain Flour
1 Aubergine, diced in to 1 cm cubes
2 Red Onions, peeled and chopped finely
2 Courgettes, diced finely
2 Celery Sticks, diced finely
1 Yellow Pepper, deseeded and diced
1 Red Pepper, deseeded and diced
1 Orange Pepper, deseeded and diced
4 Tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced
75g Mixed Pitted Olives
4 Tbsp Capers
4 Tsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp soft Brown Sugar
Sea Salt & freshly Ground Black Pepper
Preparation
For the Caponata
Heat 4 Tbsp of Oil in a large ovenproof frying pan
Place the Flour in a bowl and season with Salt & Pepper
Add the Aubergines to the bowl and cover completely with the Flour
Dust off any excess flour and fry the aubergines for about 5 minutes, in two batches, until golden brown and tender
Drain on Kitchen Paper
Wipe the frying pan clean and heat the remaining Oil
Add the Onions and fry until soft, about 5 minutes
Stir in the Courgettes, Celery and Peppers
Cook for a further 5 minutes
Return the Aubergines to the pan and stir in the Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Vinegar and Sugar
Simmer for 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender
Season to your taste
Preheat the oven to 200 C
For the Cod
Season the Flour with Salt & Pepper and place on a plate
Coat the fish in the Flour mixture
Heat 2 Tbsp Oil in a large frying pan
Add the Cod and cook for 2-3 minutes
Place the fish on top of the Caponata and put a Rosemary sprig on each
Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until the fish is tender but not over cooked
Drizzle with the remaining Oil and serve