Neil Fox, author of What's on the Board? created this dish for his friend Sam, with whom he launched an advertising venture, Punchline. "But, despite our best efforts," Fox relates, "we couldn’t sell enough cartoons to guarantee retirement on a tropical island, with Sam relaxing in a hammock after a hard day on the golf course. After two years we celebrated the closing of Punchline with a dinner of my much-loved Codfish Veracruz, along with a bottle of six-month-old vinho verde."

Neil Fox's Codfish Veracruz
Serves 4

20 littleneck clams, thoroughly scrubbed, then allowed to sit for two hours in water, with 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1½ lb center-cut cod loin
8” of chorizo cut into ¼ inch rounds
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup warmed white wine
1 poblano pepper, seeded, sliced lengthwise into strips
1 medium onion, roughly diced
4 large cloves garlic, medium diced
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
4 good grinds of black pepper
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, diced
1 baguette

 

Pre-heat oven to 400º.

In a large pan heat oil on low flame, add chorizo, poblano pepper, onion, garlic. When onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes, increase flame to medium. Add white wine. Continue cooking 2 minutes, add clams. Cover pan. Cook for additional 8-10 minutes until clams open. Discard those that didn’t open. Remove remaining clams and set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of cod with flakey salt, fresh ground pepper, paprika and Aleppo pepper. Add cod to pan, turning fish to get both sides thoroughly coated with pan mixture.

Transfer pan to oven, leave uncovered. Bake fish 8 minutes, then turn oven to broil. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Fish should be lightly crisped. Remove from oven, add back clams.

Spoon pan juices and their ingredients liberally over clams and fish. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of parsley and slices of crusty baguette.

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Written by
Lisa Green