Garlicky white beans, leeks & cod

Name: Garlicky white beans, leeks & cod
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 medium leek, trimmed; 1 tbsp Essential Olive Oil; 1 large echalion shallot, finely sliced into rounds; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed under the side of a knife; 2 bay leaves; 700 g jar Bold Bean Co Queen Butter Beans; 5 tbsp double cream; 240 g pack 2 Icelandic cod fillets, cut into large bitesized pieces; 2 sprig/s tarragon, leaves roughly chopped; ½ lemon, juice; Crusty bread, to serve

Elly Curshen's smart-looking dish is quick, easy and perfect for casual entertaining. It stretches two cod fillets to serve three or four by adding some delicious queen butter beans.

5 out of 5 stars(3) Rate this recipe

High protein2 of your 5 a day

Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare10 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time25 mins

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Ingredients

1 medium leek, trimmed
1 tbsp Essential Olive Oil
1 large echalion shallot, finely sliced into rounds
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed under the side of a knife
2 bay leaves
700g jar Bold Bean Co Queen Butter Beans
5 tbsp double cream
240g pack 2 Icelandic cod fillets, cut into large bitesized pieces
2 sprig/s tarragon, leaves roughly chopped
½ lemon, juice
Crusty bread, to serve

Method

Finely slice the leek and wash in a colander under warm water. Drain. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the leek, shallot, garlic with a big pinch of sea salt flakes and stir everything together well. Put the lid on the pan and cook on medium-low until softened but not browned, about 7 minutes.
Add the bay leaves and the jar of beans, including the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer, then pour in the cream. Stir everything together well, then add the cod and nestle it into the creamy beans. Cook, covered, for 7-8 minutes, until the cod is thoroughly cooked, opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Gently stir in the tarragon and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and adjust. I like lots of freshly ground black pepper. Discard the bay leaves. If you can spot the garlic cloves, mash them into the sauce with the back of a fork. Don’t worry if you can’t find them – they’ll be a delicious surprise when you do. Serve with some crusty bread.

Cook’s tip

More leftover ideas

1 Roast a whole garlic bulb
Ideal for when you already have the oven on. Cut the top off the bulb to expose the tips of the cloves, then sit it on some foil. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap tightly and roast at 200ºC, gas mark 6 for 40 minutes. Squeeze the cloves out to be used in various ways – try mixing with butter to make garlic bread.

2 The way you work it
How you prepare garlic will affect its strength of flavour. The smaller you chop it, the stronger it will taste. Slicing garlic and adding to a sauce, for example, rather than finely chopping, leads to a milder flavour. Leaving cloves whole is the best way to add just a mild hit of garlic.

3 Spaghetti aglio e olio
Spaghetti with garlic and oil is a classic. As the pasta cooks, heat a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Sizzle a pinch of chilli flakes and 2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic per portion for 1 minute, until fragrant and the garlic is light golden but not brown – too light and you won’t get the full flavour, too dark and it gets bitter. Toss the pasta with the contents of the pan and add a little chopped parsley.