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Summer is on it’s way and I’m already starting to think of recipes for the BBQ. This dish sounds complicated but it’s not, it’s incredibly delicious and just right to be the cooking entertainment for the perfect party. You can prepare most of the elements in advance and put it all together at the last minute. This dish is also a great sharing dish, cooking the cod on a large piece helps the fish to retain it’s moisture and succulence.

This Keralan Style Cod Loin En-Papillote could be baked in the oven or cooked on the BBQ over cool coals, just before serving. The term “en papillote” describes the technique of cooking and serving food wrapped in paper or foil. Any fish benefits from being cooked in this way as the flavours are sealed in during cooking. The paper swells as steam is produced and you have a moist and succulent piece of fish.

I prepared this Keralan inspired marinade, with a slight Japanese twist, by the addition of fish sauce also known as Nam Pla. Living in Britain is a fantastic place to be for foodies, we have the amalgamation of many different cultures all with their own cooking styles and traditions. I’m very selfish, so I cook food I love to eat, but I might borrow a few ideas from around the globe to fuse with my own style. This marinade is Keralan inspired with plenty of coconut, mild curry powder, turmeric, limes and coriander. This recipe is by no means traditional as it is my own creation.

Cod is a fantastic fish with large flaky white flesh. It’s subtle fish flavour allows a keen cook to experiment, as it easily absorbs most flavours regardless of their strength or subtleness. The trick is to balance the flavours by getting the right mixture of saltiness, sweetness, sourness and bitterness to create the perfect taste sensations that work best with the cod.

It’s very important that we always purchase fish from reputable fishmongers and from sustainable sources. Do not be scared to ask questions about the origin of the fish, freshness, sustainability and fishing methods used. All fishmongers should know the answers to these questions.

I also served the cod with a crisp citrus Keralan slaw. 

How to open a fresh coconut….
I have learned a few tricks by working with people from all walks of life. Recently I learned how to open a coconut with ease and how to get to the delicious white flesh out without injuring myself. First you need to remove the coconut water, one of the three eyes of the coconut is thin and you need to locate which one it is. In my case it’s always the last one. You do not need a lot of force just use a sharp paring knife and find which one it is, make a hole and shake the coconut until all the water is removed. Then wrap the coconut in a clean tea towel and crack the coconut with a hammer . Then place the coconut pieces on a baking tray and bake it in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes, leave to cool completely.It will now be easy to remove the white coconut flesh from the hairy hard exterior by pushing a blunt butter knife in between the flesh and the hard shell. Rinse under cold water, pat dry and the fresh coconut is ready to use.