Easy difficulty – Preparation 15 minutes – Cooking 25 minutes
Serves 4
A 800 g piece of fresh cod | 150 g of shelled hazelnuts | A spoonful of wild fennel flowers | Salt | Extra virgin olive oil
1. We switch on the oven at 200 ° C in static mode. We put the slice with the part with the skin in contact with the work surface. With a very sharp and thin knife, we cut the point of the pulp that sticks under the skin and then we insert the knife gently.
2. Keeping the blade attached to the skin (and therefore practically adhering to the work surface), let it slide under the whole slice. In this way the skin will peel off perfectly. We cut the slice into as uniform pieces as possible.
3. Put the hazelnuts in a non-stick pan and place on medium heat. Let them toast by shaking the pan often so that the heat reaches the fruit evenly.
4. When the hazelnuts are toasted (please do not let them burn: they must not become black, but only brown), close them in a cloth. We rub well so that all the cuticles come off.
5. Place the hazelnuts on a cutting board and finely chop them with a knife. We avoid using the mixer as it would reduce them in flour: they must remain a little coarse in order to create a consistency that contrasts the softness of the fish pulp.
6. We take the cod slices, lightly grease them, salt them, flavor them with a little fennel flower. In the following, we “bread” one side with the chopped hazelnuts.
7. We put in a preheated oven for about fifteen minutes (we check the cooking with a slice that must flake and feel completely opaque): the time depends a lot on the size of the slice, so we have to adjust it ourselves. Better to check both before and after: if too raw, we can put it back in the oven, but if overcooked, it will be stringy. We serve hot.