I was watching Master Chef last week and was intrigued to see one of the chefs knock up a speedy and delicious looking Romesco sauce. Having never tasted this sauce myself, I set about doing a bit of research and seeing whether I could incorporate my own low point version of this into a delightful Spanish recipe.

Knowing the base of this sauce is smoky peppers and paprika, I thought a nice meaty white fish would work with it a treat and boy was the result a success! The sauce itself has an amazing flavour, it will leave you wanting to literally lick your plate. The greens and the fish go so well with the dish, it feels nice and indulgent for only 5sp. If you aren’t a fan of fish you could also make this dish with chicken. Just make sure you adjust the cooking times so the chicken cooks right through.

The recipe for the Romesco sauce makes 4 portions and you only need 2 portions for the recipe below. Make the whole batch and reserve 2 portions for another meal. This can be added to lots of different dishes including a breakfast I will be posting soon (see the picture for a sneak peak – Poached eggs, wilted spinach, parma ham and Romesco sauce!!)

If you don’t want to use the rest of the Romesco in the next few days, you can also freeze it for up to 3 months. You can either freeze all as one or, freeze in an ice cube mould and once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. The cubes will defrost in around 20 minutes or the larger quantity a few hours (in the fridge or microwave).

Foil Baked Cod with Romesco Sauce and Greens

Serves 2 = 5sp per serving (flex)

Ingredients

For the sauce (note – the sauce makes 4 portions at 3sp per portion, you only need two portions for this recipe, make the whole batch and it can be used for several days after).

300g roasted peppers (from a jar)

2 large tomatoes, cores removed and roughly chopped

1 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

20g panko breadcrumbs

20g ground almonds

1 tsp smoked paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

100-150ml cold water

1 tsp salt

Ground black pepper

For the fish

2 cod fillets

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 tbsp of fresh or dried thyme

Other

Pack of green beans, trimmed

Pack of cavolo nero (or greens)

1 lemon

10g fresh parmesan

1 tsp light lurpack

2 slices of parma ham

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200c.

Pop all the ingredients for the sauce (except the water) in a blender and wizz to a smooth paste. Add the water as you are going until you get a nice thick but loose consistency. Pop into a pan and warm up and then keep on a low heat while you prepare everything else.

Take a large piece of tin foil and pop on a baking tray. Add the cod to the centre.

Add the garlic and thyme to the pestle and mortar and crush then add the lemon juice and mix. Pour this mixture over the fish, season with salt and pepper and then fold the foil over into a parcel. Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes (until the fish is cooked through).

Meanwhile, add the greens to a pan of salted boiling water. Boil for 7-8 minutes until the vegetables are tender and then drain. Add  1 tsp light butter, the juice of half a lemon and 10g parmesan to the greens and toss everything together.

Heat a frying pan to high, add the parma ham and fry for a few minutes until it goes crispy. Remove from the pan and dab away any excess oil.

To serve, add a quarter of the sauce to a plate, top with the greens, then the fish. Top with a slice of parma ham and serve with a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!