CRISPY COD CHEEK TACOS

and my favourite slaw hack

Is there anything better than a crispy limey fish taco in the summer? I think not. As many of you know, we operate a shared food system in our warehouse, whereby we all chip in £25 per week and that pays for all our weekly food costs, with one person cooking dinner each night of the week. Our budget is small, and to stick to it we mostly eat a vegetarian diet. However, on special occasions, or if I have a very strong craving for a taco, we chip in a little extra to get some good quality fish. My friend Stacey recently made me a mind blowing cod cheek burger, and I have been thinking about those plump little breaded nuggets of cod ever since. If you aren’t familiar with cod cheek, it is a very affordable cut of fish and one that lends itself perfectly to a taco. I got 900g of good quality cod cheek from my local fishmonger for under £15 which fed 7 people happily - and my god was it worth it.

These tacos tick all the boxes for me, low effort, high reward, creamy, crunchy and fresh, all wrapped up in the warm cradle of a tortilla. I took tips from Stacey on how to pack the most flavour into the cod as possible and the secret lies in seasoning all elements from the flour, to the egg wash and right down to the panko breadcrumbs - these cod cheeks are truly shining from the inside out. I’ve included my favourite time saving, flavour boosting hack for making a slaw - once you know it you can’t go back to shaving cabbage, I promise you.

I hope you’re all having a beautiful July so far and that these tacos are a welcome drop of sunshine to your plate.

Sending love, Rosie x

CRISPY COD CHEEK TACOS

Perfect any time of day, but on a sunny weekend, with a crisp cold beer, these tacos really hit the spot. If you’ve never heard of cod cheek before, I implore you to go to your fishmonger and have a chat - they will be thrilled! As will you, as this is a super thrifty cut of fish. If you can’t get your hands on any cod cheek, then chunks of cod will do just fine, as would prawns or salmon. Using sauerkraut here, in place of a fully homemade slaw, is such a great hack; no chopping necessary and it’s already acidic and seasoned, meaning you barely have to dress it - a time saver and a flavour booster!

For the cod cheeks:

900g cod cheek

100g plain flour, whisked with 1 tsp paprika and a pinch of salt

2 eggs, beaten with a few dashes of tabasco and a pinch of salt

200g panko bread crumbs, whisked with 1 tsp white sesame seeds, 1 tsp black sesame seeds and a pinch of salt

500 ml neutral oil, for frying

To serve:

400g sauerkraut

a small bunch of radishes, thinly sliced

a small bunch of coriander, leaves picked

3 x avocados

2 x limes, juiced

A stack of tortillas

1. Arrange your seasoned flour, egg wash and panko on three separate plates, in a row. Working one piece of cod at a time, first flouring, then dipping in the egg wash and finally breading with the seasoned panko. Once all pieces have been breaded, set aside on a tray while you assemble the other elements.

2. To make the avocado cream, add all the avocado, lime juice and 1 tbsp of olive oil to a blender, along with 1 tsp sea salt, and blend until smooth and creamy. Add a little more olive oil or a dash of water if it needs loosening up.

3. To make the slaw, simply toss the sauerkraut with the radish and half the coriander, until well combined.

4. Reheat the tortillas in a dry frying pan and wrap in a clean tea towel, so they hold their heat while you fry the fish.

5. In a large shallow frying pan, add the oil and heat over a medium high heat. You can test the oil is hot enough by adding a pinch of panko, if the breadcrumbs sizzle, float and turn golden brown, the oil is ready.

6. Shallow fry the cod cheeks for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through, working in batches until all have been fried. The larger pieces will need a few minutes longer, you’ll get a sense of it after a few goes and can always slice the biggest piece in half to make sure it’s done all the way through.

7. Once all your cod has been cooked, set to one side to drain on kitchen towel, sprinkle with a little more salt and then assemble!

8. Take a warm tortilla, spread with the avocado cream, then a healthy serving of slaw, a pinch of coriander and a few crispy cod cheeks. I like to add more tobacco to mine and then dig in.

9. Heaven.