Winter menu – option 6, the “takeaway” and the “treat”

Option 6 is my version of fish, chips and peas.

Fish, chips and peas – my version

cod loin, baked in hoi sin sauce

twice cooked roasties (leftover roast potatoes)

petit pois or mushy peas

This idea comes at the weekend so it's acceptable to cheat!

Fish is expensive so you have to shop smart. I've found that Aldi's cod loin is the cheapest and there's no difference in quality to any high end supermarket. Here's the chapter and verse – in January 2020 280g of cod loin cost £3.79 and it's still the same price today. 250g of smoked haddock was £3.09 and has increased to £3.15 – certified and sustainable, responsibly sourced. I'd call that excellent price control!

For the cod loin, portion size depends on size of appetite. The cod loin will come in sealed packets. Before you are ready to cook lay kitchen roll in the casserole (or foil tray) you will use. Open the packet (you might want to use gloves, it's very fishy!) and place the loin fillets on top of the kitchen roll and then cover to absorb the moisture and dry the fillets. Once again you might want to dispose of all the fish packaging, gloves etc., straight into a suitable disposable bag. When you're ready to cook remove the kitchen roll and then pour the hoi sin sauce over the top, turn the fish, ensuring that the fillets are covered.

I've used two types of “ready to use” hoi sin sauce, both of which are designed to use as a stir fry sauce but are equally good as a coating sauce.

Here they are :

Sharwood's hoi sin & spring onion - 195g

Amoy - 120g

Now for the twice cooked roasties …