Salt cod croquettes with exquisite tomatoes to match, from Emma Dean’s new book, A Homegrown Table.

Serves 4

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Ingredients:

Salt Cod Croquettes

  • 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
  • 500 g (17. oz) fillet white flesh fish (such as cod or whiting)
  • 4 medium-sized Dutch creams or Maris piper potatoes (about 600 g/21 oz), peeled
  • 2 cups full-fat or skim milk, for poaching
  • 2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 4 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (I prefer Panko), to coat
  • 500 ml (1 pint) vegetable oil, for frying

Oven-roasted Tomatoes

  • 250 g (9 oz) cherry plum tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 eschalots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed sprigs of your choice of rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

  1. To make the croquettes, place the fish on a plate and rub in the sea salt. Cover with cling film and place the plate in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Preheat the oven to 150oC (300oF).
  3. To roast the tomatoes, place them in an oven tray with the oil, eschalots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, basil or oregano, salt, pepper and sugar. Roast
  4. for about 20 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until they are very soft. Strain and mix in a large bowl and set aside. The mix does not have to be perfectly smooth, in fact a few lumps add a bit of texture to the final croquette.
  6. Wash the salt off the fish. In a flat deep pan, pour in the milk and lay the fish fillet in the milk. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the fish is cooked. Strain.
  7. Crumble the fish into the mashed potatoes. Add the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and mash together.
  8. Sprinkle the flour on a plate or board. Place the eggs in a small bowl and whisk lightly. Add the breadcrumbs in another bowl. Portion the mash into thumb-length logs and roll in flour, dip into the beaten egg and then dip into the breadcrumbs.
  9. Heat the vegetable oil to 180oC (350oF) in a deep saucepan or fryer.
  10. When the oil is ready for frying, drop in the croquettes and deep-fry until golden brown—approximately 1–2 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain. Serve with the oven roasted tomatoes.