Salt-cured cod with fermented nectarines

The silky fermented nectarines are inspired by the Georgian sauce tkemali and offer a gently sweet-sour contrast to the fish. Raw cod can contain tiny worms, which aren’t dangerous (think of them like finding a caterpillar in a lettuce) but if you are concerned, freeze the fish for a week, which will kill them, then defrost the cod before proceeding with the recipe.

SERVES ABOUT SIX AS A FIRST COURSE INGREDIENTS

4 nectarines

30g coarse sea salt, plus enough for the nectarines

1 tbsp mild red pepper flakes (Aleppo pepper or Pul Biber) 1 tsp chilli flakes, plus optional extra to serve

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp kefir or live yogurt 500g piece of neck-end cod fillet, skinned and pin-boned Mint leaves, torn

Olive oil

METHOD

First prepare the nectarines. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cut a cross in the top of each fruit. Working in batches, dunk them into the boiling water for a minute at a time and then take out to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, the skins should slip off quite easily.

Halve and stone the fruit over a bowl, then cut into chunks. Depending on their ripeness, the fruit may collapse quite a lot at this point, which is OK. Ideally, you should have chunks of fruit swimming in juice.

Weigh the pulp and juice, and calculate 2.5 per cent of its weight in salt. Add this to the bowl along with the red pepper flakes, chilli, fennel seeds and kefir or yogurt. Mix well and then pack into a clean jar (the bacterial fermentation means you don’t have to worry about sterilisation), leaving a good couple of centimetres of space to allow for expansion. Then leave at room temperature for three days (it should be starting to fizz and sour) before transferring to the fridge.

Sprinkle the cod all over with the 30g of salt, place in a non-reactive container (ceramic, plastic or stainless steel are all fine), cover and refrigerate for six hours. Rinse and return to the fridge, uncovered this time, for a couple more hours or overnight.

When the cod and nectarines are both ready, slice the fish thinly, place in a bowl and toss with the fermented fruit. Stir through the torn mint leaves and a glug of olive oil, and arrange on a plate, pouring over all the juices. Sprinkle over a little extra red pepper flakes.