Cod fillet with fennel and lemon potatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 cod fillets
• 1 bunch rosemary
• 1 sprig of sage
• 125 g butter
• Olive oil for frying
• 800 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 1 lemon(s), juice
• 1 bunch parsley, flat
• 3 fennel bulbs
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pinch(s) of spice(s) (Lemon Myrtle), alternatively 1/2 lime
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper (Sarawak pepper)
• 3 pinch(s) salt (Kalahari salt), alternatively table salt, but only half the amount)
• olive oil
• sesame oil
• Truffle oil, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

You’ll need a large pan, a saucepan, and ideally a wok or a deep-sided frying pan. Peel, wash, and dice the potatoes. Place the diced potatoes in a pan, cover with water, and season with salt. Trim the fennel greens and set aside. Trim the fennel stump and thinly slice the bulb. Finely chop the parsley. Peel and dice the onions. Slice the garlic. Halve the lemon. Dry the fish with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 80°C (top/bottom heat). For the vegetables: While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the fennel. Heat a mixture of three parts olive oil and one part sesame oil in a wok until really hot, using the stovetop’s high heat setting. Tip: I use an induction hob for this. Test this with a wooden spoon. When the oil bubbles, add the fennel. Stir everything until the fennel starts to brown. Then immediately reduce the heat to almost the lowest setting. Add the garlic and onions. Add the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of salt, lemon myrtle, and some pepper. I use Sarawak, which is black pepper. Let the vegetables simmer on low heat for the remaining time, stirring occasionally. For the fish: Pat the cod dry. Redfish, zander, or other firm-fleshed fillets will also work. Thaw frozen fish beforehand. Heat olive oil in a pan. This time only over medium heat, otherwise the herbs will burn. Place the fillets in the pan, set the rosemary and sage to the side, and let the fish sit in the pan for five minutes. Then turn the fillets over and add the butter. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the fish sit in the pan for five minutes, occasionally basting the fish with the melted butter. The potatoes should be ready by now. Drain the potatoes, drizzle with the juice of half a lemon, and toss to coat. Then squeeze the juice of another lemon half over the fish. Sprinkle the parsley over the fish and place the potatoes uncovered in the oven. Optionally, drizzle the fennel with a dash of truffle oil and toss again. Place the fennel in the oven as well. Tip: The fish is now ready. If you have more fillets than will fit in the pan, you can repeat the process. The side dishes will be warming. Finally, season the fish with a little salt and then serve with the potatoes and fennel.