Roast Cod with Walnut, Rocket & Harissa Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

1 sweet potato
1 red pepper
1 fennel
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
100g rocket
35g walnuts
1 orange
½ tsp harissa, plus a few pinches
75g wholewheat couscous
2 cod fillets
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 40-45 mins

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Method

1. Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Scrub the sweet potato and chop it into 1-2cm cubes. Halve the pepper and scoop out the seeds and pith. Chop into 2cm pieces. Trim the fennel and chop into similar sized pieces. Peel the onion and thickly slice it.

2. Place all the veg on a large baking tray or in a big roasting tin. Drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss together. Drop on one unpeeled garlic clove, then slide into the oven and roast for 30 mins.

3. While the veg roast, finely chop ¼ of the rocket. Pop in a medium bowl. Finely chop the walnuts. Peel and grate the remaining garlic clove. Add to the bowl. Zest in the orange. Squeeze in the juice from one half. Add in 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp harissa and a good pinch of salt. Mix well: this is your pesto. Set aside to let the flavours mingle.

4. Tip the couscous into a separate, large bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to over-cover it by 1cm. Place a plate on top or cover with cling film. Leave to soak – the couscous will suck up the water.

5. When the veg has roasted for 30 mins, remove it from the oven. Pluck the garlic clove from the tray. Make a gap in the centre of the tray. Place the cod fillets in the gap, skin-side down. Spoon some of the pesto over the cod, making sure you thickly cover the top of it (you won't use all your pesto).

6. Slide the veg and pesto-crusted cod back into the oven for 10-12 mins. The cod should be opaque and flake when pressed with a fork. If not, cook for a couple mins more.

7. While the cod and veg cook, squeeze the juice from the remaining orange half. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its papery skin and mash with the back of a knife. Mix the orange juice, crushed garlic, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and a pinch of harissa together. Season. This will dress your roast veg and couscous later. Roughly chop the remaining rocket.

8. Remove the cod and veg from the oven. Lift the cod off the tray and arrange on warm plates. Add the roast veg and chopped rocket to the couscous. Pour in the garlicky orange dressing and fold together. Serve with the cod.