Hairy Bikers Cod and Chorizo Stew Recipe

Hairy Bikers cod and chorizo stew is the dish they call cod with chorizo and white beans, made all in one pan. So in One Pot Wonders, cod steams over chorizo, cabbage and cannellini, serving 4 in an hour at 425 calories each, by my sums.

In the headnote, they write that “chorizo and red peppers give this cod dish a nice Spanish flavour.” But there’s no tin of tomatoes here, unlike most versions you’ll find online, because red wine, tomato purée and shredded white cabbage make the base.

Keeping that final steam gentle matters most, with the cod sitting on the beans under a lid rather than stirred in. So, as I see it, the steaks hold their shape while they cook through in about 15 minutes.

Hairy Bikers Cod and Chorizo Stew Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Spanish Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 45 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour Servings:4 servingsCalories:425 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Chorizo is browned and lifted out first, then onion, pepper and cabbage soften in its fat before red wine and cannellini go in. Then thick cod loin steaks steam on top under the lid, with lemon for squeezing.

Ingredients

For the stew

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150g cooking chorizo, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 250g white cabbage, shredded
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 200ml red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g can of white beans (preferably cannellini), drained and rinsed
• about 250ml water
• 4 cod loin steaks, skinned (about 150g each, my guide)
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• chopped parsley (optional)
• lemon wedges

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Instructions

1. Brown the chorizo: Heat the oil over a medium-high heat in a large sauté pan with a lid, wide enough for the 4 cod steaks later. Then brown the chorizo quickly until coloured and crisp at the edges, and lift it out with a slotted spoon.
2. Drain some fat: If there’s a lot of fat left in the pan, spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons. Then add the onion, pepper and cabbage and cook over a medium heat until they start to soften, about 8 minutes by my timing.
3. Add garlic and wine: Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, then turn up the heat and pour in the red wine. Let it bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes before stirring in the tomato purée, beans and water, and season.
4. Simmer: Cover the pan and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes by my timing. Then stir the chorizo back in.
5. Steam the cod: Season the cod steaks with salt and pepper and sit them on top of the beans and veg. Then cover and steam very gently for about 15 minutes, until the cod has just cooked through and is opaque in the middle.
6. Serve: Sprinkle with parsley, if you’re using it, and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

FAQs

Is there a Hairy Bikers cod and chorizo tray bake?

Yes, their fish and chorizo tray bake in Everyday Winners is a similar idea, cooked in the oven at 200°C. So onions, peppers and courgettes roast for 20 minutes before red wine and butter beans go in for 10. Then cod, haddock or hake under a chorizo and breadcrumb crust bakes for the last 15, with cherry tomatoes.

They write that it began with “chorizo-coated fish on a beach in Patagonia”, so the crust is the star rather than a sauce. Meanwhile, their website has a lighter take on that crust, a baked fish with chorizo crust flavoured with lime.

Can I swap the cod or the red wine?

Yes, haddock or hake both work, since their tray bake lists them as swaps for cod, as long as the pieces are as thick. For thinner fillets, though, I’d check after about 10 minutes, which is my own rule of thumb.

Without wine, I’d use 200ml of stock instead and skip the reducing, which is my swap rather than theirs. Or if you’d like cod with a crisp finish, their cod wrapped in Parma ham bakes it on roasted peppers.

What kind of chorizo should I use?

Use cooking chorizo, the softer, usually semi-cured kind, rather than the firm cured chorizo you slice for sandwiches. Because it can release a lot of red, paprika-flavoured fat, the recipe says to spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons if there’s plenty.

On their baked fish with chorizo crust page, they say chorizo is “full of fat and calories” but “a little goes a long way”. So 150g is plenty for four, while their prawn and chorizo orzo fries it with no added oil at all.

What do you serve with cod and chorizo stew?

Crusty bread for the juices is all I’d add, though that’s my suggestion, since the recipe just finishes with parsley and lemon wedges. With beans, cabbage and peppers in the pan, it already eats as a full meal, as I see it.

If you’d rather have potatoes, their cod, pea and potato casserole in the same book is another one-pan cod supper. Or for a Spanish side, their spicy patatas bravas swap the usual tomato sauce for paprika.

Can I make it ahead or freeze it?

Yes, by my approach rather than theirs, so cook the base to the end of step 4 and cool it within 2 hours. And chill it for up to 2 days, then reheat it once until bubbling and add the cod for its 15 minutes. That way the fish is always freshly cooked.

Because that uses up the base’s one reheat, as the FSA advises, I’d eat it all rather than keep leftovers. And for freezing, I’d freeze only the bean and chorizo base, never the cooked cod, which is my own rule.