Baked Cod with Olive and Caper Tapenade

Ingredients

• 120g pitted black olives
• 30g capers, drained
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 anchovy fillets in oil
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 4 skinless cod fillets, approx. 150g each
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 600g baby new potatoes
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon, juice only
• 200g baby spinach
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
• extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle, to serve
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Simple green salad, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan. Put the new potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 18–20 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife.
2. While the potatoes cook, make the tapenade. Put the olives, capers, garlic, anchovies, olive oil and lemon zest and juice into a small food processor and pulse 6–8 times until you have a rough, chunky paste — not smooth. Season to taste.
3. Place the cod fillets in a lightly oiled baking dish, spaced apart, and season lightly. Spoon the tapenade generously over each fillet, pressing it lightly to adhere.
4. Bake the cod for 12–14 minutes until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily when pressed at the thickest point.
5. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, then crush roughly with the back of a fork — you want texture, not mash. Season well.
6. While the cod finishes baking, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute until just golden and fragrant.
7. Add the spinach to the pan in two handfuls, turning with tongs for 2–3 minutes until fully wilted and any liquid has evaporated. Season well.
8. Spoon the crushed potatoes onto each plate, top with the wilted spinach, then lay a tapenade-crusted cod fillet alongside.
9. Scatter torn flat-leaf parsley over each plate, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a lemon wedge to squeeze at the table. Serve with crusty bread and a simple green salad.