Roast cod with a hot garlic and chile dressing

Recipe from MoVida Rustica by Frank Camorra, Richard Cornish (Murdoch Books, 2009)

Visiting a Spanish fish market can be like visiting a parallel universe. The fish and sea creatures all look strangely familiar but all slightly different. There are dorada, which are similar to our bream, and pargo, which as far as I can work out are snapper. There are the wildly sought-after merluza (hake). Then there's bacalao fresco, or fresh cod: sweet, firm-fleshed white fish. We're using BLACK COD OR HALIBUT here to make this simple but lively roasted fish dish. It's started off in an extremely hot pan or flat grill, finished in a moderate oven and dressed with ajada - a hot oil flavored with garlic and chile.

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 2/3 lb skinless black cod or halibut fillets, each cut into 2 pieces

ajada

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 medium-size semi-hot red chiles, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

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Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add the fish pieces, season well and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to the oven, then bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Meanwhile, to make the ajada: heat the olive oil in a small heavybottomed frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shake the pan for 1 minute, or until the garlic is golden but not burnt. Add the chiles and stir for 30 seconds, then stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

Place the cooked fish fillets on warm plates, spoon the ajada over and serve immediately.

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