Baked Cod with Romesco Sauce

La storia di questo piatto

Romesco is Catalonia's old sauce of roasted red peppers, almonds and garlic, born where the Mediterranean meets the dry, sunburnt land behind it. Here it crowns white cod in a home-kitchen embrace of sea and earth, smoky, nutty and unhurried.

Ingredienti

• 4 pieces of 180g Fresh cod fillets
• 3 pieces Red bell peppers
• 80 g Almonds (raw, blanched)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 40 g Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 piece Ripe tomato
• 2 slices Stale rustic bread (or gluten-free)
• 2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
• 8 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Sea salt
• 0.5 teaspoon Black pepper
• 0.5 teaspoon Pimentón dulce (sweet Spanish paprika)
• 1 piece Lemon
• 10 g Fresh parsley

Preparazione

1. Place the whole red peppers and the ripe tomato over a gas flame, or under the oven grill, and let them char on all sides, turning them with tongs. As soon as the skin is black and blistered, enclose the peppers in a paper or plastic bag and let them rest for 10–15 minutes: the steam loosens the skin. Peel the peppers and tomato by hand or with a clean cloth, without rinsing them under water, so you don't lose juices and smoky flavor. Remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers.
2. Toast the raw almonds in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant. Turn off the heat and let them cool slightly. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the slices of stale bread on both sides until golden; break them into pieces. Set aside.
3. In a blender, combine the peeled peppers, roasted tomato, almonds, fried bread, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and 6 tablespoons of oil, and pulse in short bursts: the sauce should remain slightly chunky. To mellow the raw garlic, use only 2 cloves (you can first toast them in their skins in a pan for 5 minutes). Season with half the salt, the pepper and the pimentón, tasting a pinch at a time.
4. Grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon of oil and spread the romesco sauce with the back of a spoon, forming an even bed that is not too thin. Lay the cod fillets on top without pressing them down, brush them with the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with the remaining salt and a little pepper.
5. Bake at 200°C in a preheated oven. Check after 12 minutes: the cod should look opaque and flake into layers when pressed with a fork; if needed, extend up to 15 minutes. Remove it as soon as it's ready, since it continues to cook outside the oven.
6. As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the fish with fresh lemon juice and scatter with chopped parsley. Serve immediately, piping hot, with slices of toasted bread (or gluten-free) for scooping up the sauce.