Pan-Fried Cod, Minty Pea Purée and Curried Lentils

My boyfriend is making his hat-trick appearance on the blog today as he cooked me this gorgeous cod dish the other night and it was so tasty (and good-looking!) that I simply had to share it with you...

Sweet peas, blitzed until coarse with hits of fresh mint and vibrant lemon running through; perfectly cooked cod, outside crisped up in the pan and inside just falling apart; and lentils simply infused with a subtle hint of curry – to die for! A poshed-up fish, mushy peas and curry sauce, this will wow your dinner party guests or simply spruce up your midweek dinner.

Pan-Fried Cod, Minty Pea Purée and Curried Lentils

Serves 4

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

450g frozen peas

Small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

4 cod fillets

200g pre-cooked Puy lentils

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp medium curry powder

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the shallot and fry for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the peas to the pan with 50ml of water and simmer for 5 minutes until the peas are just tender. Drain away any excess liquid and then top the contents of the pan into a food processor. Add the mint leaves and blitz until completely smooth. Season to taste.

In a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic and parsley. Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper.


Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the cod for 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Carefully turn over and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, until just cooked through.


Warm the lentils through in a pan and mix the lemon zest and juice, the curry powder and all but a tablespoon of the parsley oil.


Spread the pea purée on serving plates, spoon the lentils alongside and place a cod fillet on top. Drizzle with the remaining parsley oil and serve immediately.