Cod & Salsa Verde

Preheat the oven to 200˚C, 180˚C fan, 400˚F, Gas 6.

For the couscous

Place the pumpkin seeds on a baking tray. Toast them for about 5 minutes and remove. Put the couscous in a small bowl and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil, rubbing it into the grains with your fingers. Pour over the lemon juice (it should cover the couscous), seal with clingfilm and set aside for about 10 minutes to allow the grains to swell. Rub the couscous between your fingers to ensure that all the grains are loose. Mix in the rest of the ingredients along with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt.

To cook the broccoli

Trim off any coarse looking leaves or tough ends of stalk. Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for no more than 2 minutes. Refresh in a bowl of cold water. After a few minutes, drain and place on a tray lined with a tea cloth. The broccoli may be blanched in advance. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes. Heat gently until the garlic starts to pick up a little colour. Add the broccoli to the pan, season and toss with the chilli and garlic until well coated in the oil and heated through.

To cook the cod

Dry the cod with kitchen paper and season on both sides. Heat a non-stick pan until just beginning to smoke. Add the oil and place the cod in the pan, skin side down. Cook at a medium

to high heat, allowing the skin to brown over a period of about 5 minutes. Don’t move the fish around the pan. When the skin becomes golden, it will release naturally. Turn the fish over. Add a generous knob of butter to the pan (if using) and when it foams, tilt the pan slightly and baste the fish. Transfer to a preheated oven for about 5 minutes. The exact timing of the fish will vary slightly according to the thickness. What is important is that the fish remains really moist and slightly rare in the centre when it comes off the pan. The surface of the fish should be a milky white colour with the centre a little more translucent.

Slide the fish onto a warm plate and top with a spoonful of salsa verde. Serve the broccoli and couscous alongside.