Brazilian cod fillet recipe: pan fried paprika cod and fennel moqueca

2 Bring the 350ml of water to the boil with the star anise and a good pinch of salt. Once boiling, add the rice, turn the heat down, put a lid on for 10 mins, then remove from the heat and leave to rest for 10 mins with the lid on, or until the rest of the meal is ready.

3 Time for the moqueca sauce! Put your bigger pieces of onion in a pan with a drizzle of oil and cook on medium heat for 5 mins, before adding your chopped fennel to the pan. Stir everything together and cook for another 7-10 mins. Season with salt and black pepper.

4 Once the vegetables in the sauce are soft, add the tomato purée, garlic, chopped coriander stalks and half the smoked paprika (use less if you don’t like spice). Cook for another minute, then add the vegetable stock to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down slightly and simmer the mixture for 10-15 mins.

5 Mix the rest of the smoked paprika with a drizzle of oil in a bowl, then add the cod. Season each fillet with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper, then mix until it’s nicely coated in the marinade.

6 To make the salsa, put a drizzle of olive oil in a bowl. Grate in the zest of the lime and squeeze in half the lime juice (use less lime if you’re not a huge citrus fan!); mix together with a fork. Roughly chop the coriander leaves and chop the fennel tops (the ones put aside in step 1), as finely as you can. Put them in the bowl with the lime dressing and your small pieces of onion, then mix everything together.

7 Heat a frying pan on medium-high. Once hot, place in the cod skin-side down, and cook for 3-4 mins before turning over and cooking for 3 mins on the other side (you don’t need extra oil in the pan). Tip: To get crispy skin on the fish, don’t move it around while it’s cooking!

8 Add your remaining lime juice to your moqueca sauce and stir together. Serve your rice in bowls with your moqueca sauce. Place your cod on top, then spoon over a generous portion of salsa. Enjoy!