published 19 September 2024

This delicious dish by Martin Blake, head chef at The Royal Crescent and Spa, Bath, combines flaky Cornish cod with a hearty, savoury broth made from mussels, with spicy chorizo.

Ingredients:

700g fresh mussels in their shells
90ml white wine
For the broth:
30g unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp fennel seeds
120ml double cream
½ tsp lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
25g cooked basmati rice
pinch of freshly chopped herbs (chives, parsley, tarragon)
pinch of sea salt
For the fish:
1tbsp vegetable oil
120g fresh cod fillet
knob of butter
1tbsp lemon juice
To finish:
handful of baby leaf spinach
50g chopped chorizo

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Prepare the mussels by cleaning them under cold running water using a clean cloth. Ensure that you remove any barnacles and beards from the shells. The mussels should be closed; if any remain open, discard them.
Heat a large saucepan with a lid. Once pan is hot, add the mussels and wine and put the lid on. Cook on high heat, shaking the pan from time to time. This should take 2-3 minutes. Now drain the mussels, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard any mussels that haven't opened. Remove the mussels from their shells and chill in fridge.
Now pass the mussel liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove any shell or sand.
Next, make the stock. In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the chopped vegetables and garlic, sweating them on a medium heat till they are soft. Try to avoid getting too much colour on the vegetables.
Add the fennel seeds, and 150ml of the reserved mussel liquid and bring to a boil.
Now add the cream, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and cooked rice. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Carefully blend the mix till smooth, add sea salt to season.
Bring the mussel broth to a boil, add the cooked mussels and chopped herbs. Cook till mussels are hot to touch.
Now, prepare the fish. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Lightly sprinkle table salt on to the skin of the fish. Place the cod skin side down into the pan and leave till skin is golden brown. Place the pan into an oven at 170°C and roast for two and a half minutes. Place the pan back on the stove and add a knob of butter. Once the butter is foaming baste the fish in the butter. Finish with a splash of fresh lemon juice. Leave the fish to rest for a minute and a half before serving.
Finish the dish with some spinach cooked in butter, roasted chorizo (keep any oil and drizzle over broth) and the roasted Cornish cod.

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Rebekah Evans joined The Week as newsletter editor in 2023 and has written on subjects ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to fast fashion and "brotox". She started her career at Reach plc, where she cut her teeth on news, before pivoting into personal finance at the height of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Social affairs is another of her passions, and she has interviewed people from across the world and from all walks of life. Rebekah completed an NCTJ with the Press Association and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Week magazine, the Press Association and local newspapers.