Shaved Cod Revisited like Basque Bacalhau in Espelette Chilli Butter

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 g / 1 lb. potatoes

75 g / 5 tbls. Bordier salted butter

125 g / ½ cup Bordier Espelette chilli butter

2 cloves garlic

Thyme, fresh or seeds

Cilantro leaves

12 thin slices mild Spanish chorizo

Oil

400-500 g / ≈ 1lb cod fillet

 

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes, skins on. Mash them with 75 g / 5 tbls. Bordier salted butter. Set aside.

Knead 125 g / ½ cup Bordier Espelette chilli butter. Fold in 2 cloves garlic, pressed, the thyme and cilantro.

Melt the mixture in a small saucepan over a low heat. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Prepare 12 thin slices of mild Spanish chorizo. Set aside.

Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and sear a cod fillet over a high heat to mark the fish.   Salt and pepper.

Place the chorizo slices in the side of the frying pan. Once crispy, place them on paper toweling and set aside.

After having marked the fish, turn it over regularly and cover so that the inside remains tender. As soon as you can pull the fish apart, turn the heat off and set aside, making sure to drain the liquid in the frying pan.

Reheat the mashed potatoes by folding in half of the small saucepan of melted butter.

Reheat the cod. While it is warming, plate a layer of mashed potatoes all over the serving dish.

Turn off the heat and pull the fish apart slightly. Plate on one side of the serving dish, and drizzle with the melted butter. On the other side, place the crispy chorizo slices between each fold of the fish so that it looks like scales.

Decorate with cilantro fronds. Serve hot and enjoy!

 

Serve with a dry white from Languedoc in southwestern France. You may also wish to serve a red, such as “Becassine” from Christophe Barbier cellars, which will pair very well with the chilli!