Baked Cod with Chorizo, Tomatoes & White Wine

Ingredients

• 4 x 180g cod fillets, skin on
• 150 g cooking chorizo, sliced into coins
• 400 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Buttered new potatoes, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Scatter the chorizo coins, cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion and garlic into a large, shallow baking dish — keep everything in a single layer so the chorizo crisps and the tomatoes blister rather than steam.
2. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle the smoked paprika directly onto the chorizo and oil — the heat of the oven will bloom the paprika in the rendered fat over the first few minutes, turning it from dusty to deeply smoky. Pour in the white wine, which gives the tomatoes a liquid to break down into so the base tastes of summer fruit and wine, not raw tin.
3. Roast for 15 minutes, until the chorizo has crisped at the edges and released its rust-red oil, the tomatoes are bursting, and the garlic has softened in the wine — keep an eye on the garlic slices sitting proud on top, as any that catch and turn dark will go bitter. Tuck stray ones down into the juices if they're colouring too fast.
4. Meanwhile, pat the cod fillets dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means flabby fish. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper; this is the only chance to season the fish itself.
5. Nestle the fillets into the chorizo and tomatoes, skin-side down, spooning a little of the smoky juices over the top. Lay 2–3 lemon rounds across each fillet so the lemon juice trickles down into the fish as it cooks.
6. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the cod is opaque and flakes easily when pressed — pull it the moment the flakes part cleanly, as cod goes from just-set to chalky in a minute. Taste the pan juices and adjust the salt now: the chorizo carries most of it, but a final pinch ties the wine and tomato together.
7. Scatter generously with chopped parsley, bring the dish straight to the table, and tear the crusty bread to mop up the paprika-stained, winey juices around each fillet.