Baked Cod and Butter Beans with Aioli
This cod and butter bean stew is packed with summery Mediterranean flavours and comes together in a single dish. Serve with homemade or store-bought aioli for added richness.
From the book
One Pan Beans
Get creative with protein-packed pulses such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas.
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Introduction
This is an oven-baked fish stew of sorts, and it’s the type of dish that I love to serve with aioli to bring some real garlicky punch. This recipe leans on the complex layering of Mediterranean flavours like orange, fennel seeds, garlic, bay leaf and saffron, on top of some chopped tomatoes, along with the leek, fennel and white wine – combined it is these deliciously simple ingredients that create the base of the stew in which to cook the beans and fish. You could use any firm white fish for this dish, or even swap the fish for your favourite shellfish such as prawns. Keep an eye on the fish, it will cook relatively quickly in the stew. If you don’t have time to make the aioli, use the best store-bought mayonnaise and season with crushed garlic.
Ingredients
| 1 | fennel bulb trimmed and thinly sliced |
| 1 | leek, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 200ml (7fl oz) | dry white wine |
| 1 tsp | ground fennel seeds |
| Pinch of | chilli flakes or chilli powder |
| A big pinch of | saffron (optional) |
| 2 sprigs of | thyme, leaves picked |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 2 strips of | unwaxed orange zest, pith removed |
| 600g (1lb 5oz) | cherry tomatoes, halved |
| Approx. 500g (1lb 2oz) | drained cooked or canned butter (lima) beans |
| 60g (2¼oz) | kalamata or black olives, roughly chopped |
| 4 (about 150g (5½oz) each) | firm cod or other white fish fillets |
| ¼ small bunch of | parsley, finely chopped |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the aioli: | |
|---|---|
| 1 | egg yolk |
| 1 | garlic clove, crushed |
| 1 tsp | white wine vinegar or lemon juice |
| 125ml (4fl oz) | olive oil |
| Pinch of | Turkish chilli flakes, to serve (optional) |
Method
For the aioli, in a small blender or food processor, or alternatively with a whisk and a bowl, mix the egg yolk, garlic and a good pinch of salt with the vinegar for about 30 seconds until thoroughly combined. Next, add 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a thin, steady stream, with the motor running or continually whisking. then continue to add the remaining oil in a thin stream, continually mixing or whisking to form a thick mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste and put to one side in a small bowl.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5.
Mix the fennel and leek with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and the garlic and season well with salt and pepper. Place in a good-sized ovenproof dish, in an even layer, then roast for about 20 minutes until softened and the edges have some colour.
Add the wine and return to the oven for 5 minutes, then stir in the spices, herbs, orange zest and cherry tomatoes and cook for 15–20 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down. Stir in the beans and olives and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Rub the fish fillets with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the fish on top of the bean mixture and return the dish to the oven to roast for 8–10 minutes until the fish is cooked through and has turned opaque.
Remove from the oven, scatter over the chopped parsley and serve with a big spoon of aioli per portion of fish and a sprinkling of Turkish chilli flakes, to serve.
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