Cod & Chorizo with Spicy Salsa and Crostini

This recipe is quite straightforward and looks and tastes great. Cod and chorizo are great partners and the garlic rubbed crostini soak up the juices from the tangy, spicy tomato sauce.

Ingredients

For the salsa:

• 4 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Half a pickled serrano chile (substitute pickled jalapeno if necessary)
• A glug of olive oil
• A glass of white wine
• 390g carton of chopped tomatoes with sliced olives
• Balsamic vinegar
• 5 sprigs fresh Greek basil (substitute regular basil if necessary)
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the crostini

• One pack of crostini / similar
• 2 cloves garlic

For the cod

• 2 cod loin steaks
• 2 sprigs Greek basil (or regular basil)
• 2 cloves garlic
• A glug of olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 6 slices of chorizo, cut on the angle to make ovals

Method

Marinate the cod by placing it in a ziplock bag with chopped Greek basil, chopped garlic, olive oil and ground black pepper. Place in fridge for an hour and remove 15 minutes before cooking. Remove from ziplock bag (retaining spare marinade to add to the salsa) and sprinkle each steak with ground black pepper and a pinch of salt.

Place the chorizo slices in a sauté pan on medium heat. As the pan heats up the chorizo will start to release oil and spit, like bacon rind. Turn down the heat if it looks like it will catch. Turn the chorizo from time to time so that it gets a crispy crunch on the surface. After about 8 minutes you can remove the chorizo from the pan and place it on kitchen towel to absorb excess fat. Wipe the pan clean with kitchen towel.

Take the crostini and rub them on both sides with raw garlic. Cover the bottom of the bowls you will serve the meal in with crostini.

Now prepare the tomato sauce. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat and when it has heated add chopped shallots, chopped garlic and chopped chilé. When the shallots are translucent turn up the heat, add the white wine and boil vigorously for a minute to burn off the alcohol and reduce slightly. Turn the heat back down to medium and add the carton of chopped tomatoes and olives. Bring back to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add a generous slug of balsamic vinegar and stir in. Chop or tear the basil leaves and add most of them to the pan, saving the rest to stir in a couple of minutes before serving. Add any leftover oil and herbs from the ziplock bag to the pan.  Season with salt & black pepper.

With the chorizo, crostini and salsa ready you can now cook the fish. Bring the sauté pan to a medium heat and add a small amount of olive oil. Place the cod steaks in the pan and cook, without turning, for 4 minutes – this should be long enough to firm up the fish and get some colour on it. Carefully turn the fish and cook on the other side for 4 minutes. Keep an eye on the fish to check for doneness – as it cooks it will separate slightly and you can inside whether the fish has become opaque inside. If you’re worried about doneness you can add a good splash of white wine towards the end and poach it until the wine has evaporated (about a minute).

Serve by spooning the tangy tomato salsa over the crostini, placing the succulent cod on the salsa and topping with the crispy chorizo slices.

courtesy of http://www.shizzling.com/