Prep time:

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 4

4 cod steaks, skin slashed

Risotto base

200g risotto rice

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 celery stalks peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

0.75 vegetable stock (a good stock cube will do)

splash of white wine

1 courgette finely diced

250g spinach finely chopped

150g podded peas

To finish

knob of butter

2tbsp grated parmesan

Good enough to eat in the restaurant, but quick and easy to prepare at home - this is what chef Toby Welfare of The Cloudberry in Cranbrook cooks for his own family

  1. Fry the onion and celery in some light olive oil until soft, add the garlic and cook for one more minute, don’t allow the garlic to colour. Add the risotto rice and stir fry for a minute until the grains are slightly translucent. Add the spinach, courgettes and peas and cook for about 3 more minutes. Add a good splash of wine (125ml glass will do) and cook, stirring all the time until it evaporates.* see Chef’s Home Tip   
  2. Once the white wine is absorbed into the rice, keep adding a ladle of hot stock one at a time until the rice is almost cooked – it should still have a bite to it.
  3. Take off the stove, add a good knob of butter and a handful of parmesan cheese, stick a lid on and rest for 5 mins. Meanwhile salt the cod steaks and place skin side down into a hot oiled frying pan. Crisp up the skin and turn over and place in a pre-heated oven (gas mk 6) for 6-8 mins depending on the thickness of the fish.
  4. When the cod is ready, stir the risotto and place a mound in each bowl. Place the cooked cod on top. You can finish this with a dollop of pesto, or simply a good squeeze of lemon.

*Chef’s home tip

You can make risotto days in advance and quickly finish it off to use when you need it. Prepare it to the stage marked * then spread it out on a baking tray. Leave to cool, then transfer to a bowl or storage box and it will keep in the fridge for up to five days. All you need to do when you want to use it, is add roughly two ladles of hot stock, stirring all the time until the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked. 


The Cloudberry, Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent
01580 712336 thecloudberryrestaurant.com
Open for lunch, 12-3pm and dinner, 6-11pm, Tuesday to Saturday

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