Merluzzo croccante al pistacchio - Pistachio-crusted Cod Loin

I like to be inspired by the freshness of the ingredients when I do my shopping. Today the cod was shining and pinkish on the fishmonger display. On my way home, I decide to boost its mild flavour by marinating it with lemon, garlic and paprika and to give it a crunchy finish with a pistachios crust. 

No need to do extra shopping. All the ingredients I want are in the pantry. 

I marinate my cod loin in the fridge for about one hour with a mixture of lemon, oil, garlic, sea salt and paprika. I turn it once.

I always crush the nuts with the pestle in the mortar rather than in the blender, as in this traditional way I can better control the consistency I need. It takes few seconds.

I line an oven sheet with parchment and I set the marinated cod loin on it. I sprinkle the fish with crushed pistachios to form a thick coating.

I pair the cod with tomato comfit I bake separately, as I find it that the tomatoes loose too much water when cooked along with the cod.

While the fish is cooking, I make my tahini sauce by combining the tahini paste with lemon, water, salt and parsley. The tip a Lebanese friend gave to me: adding a tablespoon of natural yogurt.

I serve it with steamed courgettes and boiled potatoes, simply dressed with good extra virgin oil.

Merluzzo croccante al pistacchio - Pistachio-crusted Cod Loin

400 g cod loin

20 g unsalted shelled pistachios, roughly crushed

For the marinate

1/2 teaspoon paprika

The fresh juice of 1/2 lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt

For the tahini sauce

3 generous tablespoons tahini paste

1 tablespoon natural yogurt

The fresh juice of half lemon

1-2 tablespoons cold water

A good pinch of salt

A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Serves 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes plus one hour marinating

Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes.

1. The cod loin is the middle third of a cod fillet and is moist and flaky.
In a small bowl, mix paprika, lemon juice, garlic, oil and salt. Arrange the cod in a bowl and coat it with the marinate. Leave it in the fridge for at least for one hour, turning it once.

2. Meanwhile, roughly crush the pistachios either in a mortar or in a blender.

3. Heat the oven to 200 C.

4. Line an oven sheet with parchment and arrange the marinated cod over. Sprinkle with the pistachios and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the loin.

5. Meanwhile, make your tahini sauce by mixing the tahini paste, the yogurt, the lemon juice and the water with a whisker in a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley at the end.

6. Serve immediately with tomato comfit and steamed vegetables.