Cod, tomato and mixed bean stew with warm crusty bread.

Now, don’t judge a book by it’s cover with this one. I know some of you (yes I’m looking at you Dan) will ultimately have their heart sink at the sound of a stew. I’m not talking a stinky, bubbling pot of questionable broth here. This is an absolute winner when you want something hearty and cheap for dinner, whilst staying relatively kind to your waistline.

This happens to be the first recipe I actually wrote instructions down for. I shared it with my mum, who was after something easy and tasty and needed to use up some cod fillets. I had cooked it for myself whilst Dan was sat beside a fishing lake somewhere. After a few tweaks, I think it’s finally nailed.

This winter warmer recipe with soft juicy fish, roasted vegetables and high protein beans can be eased into your midweek routine from Autumn onwards. And thanks to the use of tinned ingredients, the budget fish recipe really is a blessing on your bank account when you may be overloaded with Christmas shopping.

Don’t be fooled by its simplicity though – this dish packs a real punch I promise. The underlying heat from the smoked paprika and chilli paste will certainly tingle your taste buds. And then there’s the crunchy yet simultaneously soft roasted vegetables. What a treat.

So please, put your scepticism of a stew aside and give this one ago. It really is so easy to cook.

Recipe ingredients

• 2 cod loin fillets
• 150g chorizo
• 400g chopped tinned tomatoes
• Half a large white onion
• 200g of tinned mixed beans
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence (Italian mixed herbs can also work!)
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• 300ml of chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon of chilli paste (or substitute for a lesser heat with a sprinkle of chilli flakes)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100g asparagus
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 lemon halved
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• Your choice of crusty bread (sourdough rolls work a treat here)

Cooking utensils

• A casserole dish
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• A baking tray
• An oven dish
• A fish slice

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. Remove the cod fillets from the packaging, pop on a plate and season lightly with salt before putting aside. This will help the fish firm up and hold its own in the sauce.
3. Chop your peppers into rough chunks and add to an oven dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, peel the skin off the chorizo and chop into bitesize chunks. Slide to the side of your chopping board, and finely dice your onion.
5. After 10 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus to the peppers in your oven dish, mix a little and squeeze half a lemon on top. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
6. Heat up your olive oil in the casserole dish on a medium to low heat, and tip in your chorizo pieces. Cook for just shy of a minute and add your diced onion.
7. Fry your chorizo and onion for another minute or so, stirring regularly. Then add your chopped garlic and fry for another 15 seconds.
8. At this point, your roasted veg might be almost done. When it is, simply take out of the oven and put aside.
9. Add your tomato puree to your casserole dish and let it coat your onion and chorizo for a minute.
10. Time to season! Add your mixed Herbes de Provence, smoked paprika and your choice of either chilli paste or flakes.
11. Tip in your tin of chopped tomatoes, stir, and then add your stock, bringing it all to a boil.
12. Reduce to a confident simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or so, tasting and seasoning a little if you need (Go easy on the salt, the stock and chorizo should have you covered.)
13. When your sauce looks almost thick enough for a stew, drain your mixed beans and add them in, along with the roasted vegetables you’ve put aside.
14. Wiggle some room for your cod fillets and snuggle them in using a fish slice. Let them cook relatively interrupted with the lid on for 12 minutes.
15. It’s at this point you may want to either cook or heat up your chosen crusty bread in readiness.
16. Serve in a bowl or pasta dish, sprinkling some parsley on top and a squeeze of lemon juice. Dig in and mop up that soothing yet tingling tomato sauce with your warm crusty bread. (Yep, it’s at this point you’ll rethink your stance on stews… they can be insanely good.)

Tasty tips!

• Looking for the ideal casserole dish? My Le Creuset dish really is my lifesaver – and it’s worth the splurge. Take a look at their amazing colours here!
• Not so into spice? Simply omit the chilli altogether – I promise it’ll still taste amazing.
• Swap out the crusty bread and add some diced potatoes to the stew instead for a serious winter warmer.
• Bring down the cost a little by swapping the asparagus out for some broccoli or green beans.