List of Ingredients
- 1 LB. of desalted cod, skinned and cleaned
- chickpea flour
- basil
- pine nuts
- 2 WHOLE of celery stalks
- 1 SMALL of onion
- Flour
- Wild fennel
- Parsley
- Bay leaves
- Extravirgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil along with the onion, celery, 3-4 sprigs of parsley, a bay leaf and a teaspoon of peppercorns. Simmer for about 40 minutes; this is your court-bouillon.
Mix the chickpea flour with a quart of water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will obtain a mixture similar to polenta. Remove from heat and pour into a baking dish greased with oil. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper directly touching the mixture, and let cool.|Meanwhile, prepare the herb pesto: puree the basil with a sprig of wild fennel and parsley each, the pine nuts and 1/2 cup of oil. Briefly pulse the blender to avoid overheating the pesto, which would otherwise become dark and bitter.
Place the cod in the boiling court-bouillon and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and beat it with an electric mixer, as if it were a mayonnaise, slowly drizzling in a ladle of the cooking broth first, then 2/3 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.|Cut the chickpea polenta into 6 even pieces lengthwise and dredge them in flour. Fry them in a pan with a little but of oil until they are golden brown, crispy outside and soft inside. These are your fritters. Serve the fritters with the creamed salt cod, completing with the herb pesto.