Ingredients

• 310 g salt cod, or 600g fresh cod, haddock or monkfish fillets, from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger
• 1 white onion, peeled
• 2 small carrots, peeled
• 2 sticks celery, trimmed, pale green inner leaves reserved
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small dried red chilli, crumbled
• 2 x 400 g good-quality tinned plum tomatoes
• 425 ml light organic chicken stock
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, juice of

Method

1. If using fresh cod, haddock or monkfish, pack it in a few handfuls of sea salt overnight and rinse it before using. If using proper salt cod, soak the fillets in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water a few times during this period. This way, the fish will rehydrate and the saltiness will be removed before cooking. If the fish is more than 2cm thick it might need up to 36 hours’ soaking.

2. Chop the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and parsley stalks. Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan, and add the chopped vegetables, parsley stalks and dried chilli. Sweat very slowly with the lid ajar for 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown.

3. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the stock and bring back to the boil.

4. Break up any larger pieces of tomato with a wooden spoon and drop the salt cod fillets into the hot soup. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, just until the fish has poached and flakes apart when prodded with a fork. Pick out any bits of skin. Gently fold the flakes of fish through the soup, taste and season with pepper, salt (if needed) and a little lemon juice.

5. Chop the parsley and celery leaves and scatter over the soup. Drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil.