Merluzzo con cozze

Ingredienti

• butter
• sunflower oil
• 6 sticks celery a few leaves reserved and finely sliced
• 3 fat cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 kg large or mussels well scrubbed and beards removed (discard any that don’t shut tightly when tapped on the edge of the sink)
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 700 g sustainable cod fillet skinned (buy the thickest you can find and in one piece)
• a large handful flat-leaf parsley chopped

Preparazione

1. 1

   Melt the butter with 1 tbsp oil in a large, flameproof casserole and very gently fry the celery and garlic for 5 minutes until beginning to soften but not coloured. Add the mussels to the pan, pour over the white wine and cover with the lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes until all the mussels have opened, stirring once.

2. 2

   Take the pan off the heat and transfer the mussels to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the mussel liquor in the pan. Leave them for about 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle, discarding any mussels that haven’t opened. Remove the mussel flesh from half the shells and set aside with the rest. Pour any extra mussel liquor that collects in the bowl back into the pan.

3. 3

   Put the cod in the casserole, season with plenty of ground black pepper and cover tightly. Cook over a medium heat for 18-20 minutes until the fish is just cooked. Return the mussel flesh, and remaining mussels in their shells to the casserole, cover and heat through for 2 more minutes until hot.

4. 4

   Serve in deep, warmed plates with the chopped celery leaves and parsley on top. If you want to make the dish a little more substantial, serve with large thin slices of french bread, grilled with plenty of olive oil and rubbed with garlic.