Velvet

Garlic, Potato and Almond Skordalia with Crisp Fried Cod

Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.

Skordalia · Greek

Floury potatoes are riced and beaten with a blended paste of almonds, raw garlic and lemon, then loosened with olive oil into a silky dip. Fingers of cod in a light sparkling-water batter are fried until crisp and served alongside with lemon.

Prep25 min
Cook35 min
Total1 h
DifficultyMedium
Per serving520 kcal
FreeDairy-freeNo added sugar
Servings6Recipe makes 6
Allergens (EU 14)
GlutenCrustaceansEggsFishPeanutsSoybeansMilkTree nutsCeleryMustardSesameSulphitesLupinMolluscs

Always check the labels of the products you use.

Method

  1. 1

    Cook the potatoes. Rinse the potato cubes, simmer until very tender, then let them steam dry.

  2. 2

    Make the almond paste. Blend the almonds, garlic, lemon juice and cold water until smooth.

  3. 3

    Finish the skordalia. Rice the potatoes, stir in the almond paste and beat in the olive oil and salt by hand.

  4. 4

    Heat the oil. Heat the frying oil to 180 °C and dust the cod in flour.

  5. 5

    Batter and fry. Whisk the cold batter, dip the cod and fry in batches until crisp and 63 °C inside.

  6. 6

    Serve. Serve the hot fish with the skordalia and lemon wedges.

Storage

Skordalia keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes and loosen with a little water before serving. The fried cod is best eaten straight away. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).

Equipment

  • medium saucepan
  • colander
  • rimmed baking tray
  • potato ricer or masher
  • blender or food processor
  • large bowl
  • medium bowl and whisk
  • large heavy pot or deep fryer (at least 4 l)
  • deep-fry or instant-read probe thermometer
  • spider or slotted spoon
  • wire rack set over a tray

Nutrition per serving (estimated values)

Per servingAmount
Energy520 kcal
Protein21.1 g
Carbohydrate37 g
of which sugars1.5 g
of which free sugars0.3 g
Fat32.5 g
of which saturates3.7 g
Fibre3.7 g
Salt1.52 g

Protein per 100 kcal

4.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values