Spanish-Style Cod with Peppers and Olive Oil Broth — A Van Kitchen Recipe

Somewhere between Manzanares and Tomelloso, on a road that cuts straight through La Mancha wine country, there are laybys that look out over nothing but vines. Row after row of them, low and gnarled, running to the horizon in every direction. In March they're bare sticks. By April there's the first suggestion of green. Issy approved of the stop. So did I.

This spanish-style cod had been thinking about itself since the evening before, when I pulled it from the van freezer and left it to defrost overnight in the fridge. By lunchtime it was ready: patted dry, seasoned, and about to meet a pan of red peppers, tomato and a saffron-gold olive oil broth that smelled like the whole of Spain in a single pan.

Spanish-Style Cod with Peppers and Olive Oil Broth — A Van Kitchen Recipe

Serves 1 | Frying pan | Prep 10 mins | Cook 20 mins | Total 30 mins
Cod thawed overnight in the van fridge

Ingredients

• 150–180g cod fillet, thawed overnight and patted dry
• ½ red pepper, sliced
• ½ small onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 small tomato, chopped (or 3–4 tbsp passata)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 120–150ml hot stock (vegetable, chicken or fish)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• A few strands of saffron, bloomed in 1 tbsp hot water
• A squeeze of lemon
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Bloom the saffron first. Add a few strands to a tablespoon of hot water and leave to steep while you prep everything else.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook until softened — about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute until just golden.
3. Add the smoked paprika and stir for 10–15 seconds to bloom it in the oil. Add the tomato or passata and stir to combine.
4. Pour in the stock and the bloomed saffron with its water. Stir, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 3–4 minutes until the broth has reduced slightly and turned a deep golden colour.
5. Season the cod on both sides with salt and black pepper. Nestle it into the pan, spooning some of the broth and peppers over the top.
6. Cover the pan — I use a mismatched lid; if you need a tighter fit, lay a sheet of foil over the pan first and place the lid on top. Cook over a low-medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until the cod is just cooked through and flakes easily.
7. Remove from the heat. Add a squeeze of lemon and scatter with parsley. Serve straight from the pan.

Recipe Notes

• Frozen cod is the vanlife reality, and it works well. Pull it from the freezer the evening before and let it defrost slowly in the van fridge overnight — 24 hours is ideal. Pat it thoroughly dry before cooking; thawed fish holds water and you want the pan, not a steam bath.
• If you're passing through a coastal town and the fishmonger has just had a delivery, fresh is always better — but you need the right stop for that, and Florie needs somewhere to park. In La Mancha, the freezer wins.
• The saffron is not strictly essential, but if you carry it — and it travels well — use it. A few strands bloomed in hot water turn the broth golden and give it a depth that smoked paprika alone doesn't quite reach.
• The foil-and-lid method works for anything that needs a reasonably tight seal in a van kitchen. A sheet of foil, then the lid on top — done.
• This works equally well with hake or any firm white fish.

Footnote

This spanish-style cod with peppers is part of my Campervan Cooking Recipes collection — van-friendly recipes, one-pan cooking and food from the road.

It also features in my Spanish Recipes collection — Spanish classics, regional dishes and flavours from across the Peninsula.

It also features in my Fish & Seafood Recipes collection — fish and seafood cooked simply and well.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef