Cod in parsley sauce with mash and peas

Flaky baked cod under a smooth white sauce packed with fresh parsley, with buttery mash and peas. Gentle, old-fashioned and very comforting.

Ingredients

• 500 g Cod fillets, 4 fillets
• 10 ml Olive oil
• 0.5 Lemons, juiced
• 1 g Black pepper
• 30 g Butter
• 30 g Plain flour
• 450 ml Milk
• 1 g Bay leaves
• 20 g Fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1000 g Potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 40 g Butter
• 80 ml Milk
• 400 g Frozen peas

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 to 18 minutes until tender.
2. Warm the sauce milk with the bay leaf in a small pan until steaming, then take it off the heat to infuse.
3. Put the cod on a lined tray, drizzle with the oil and lemon juice and season with pepper. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until it flakes easily.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Take out the bay leaf, then whisk in the warm milk a little at a time until smooth. Simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes until thick, then stir in the parsley.
5. Drain the potatoes and mash with the butter and milk.
6. Cook the peas in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.
7. Serve each piece of cod on a pile of mash with the parsley sauce spooned over and the peas alongside.