How to make herbed coley wrapped in parma ham

Coley, also known as saithe, is rather inexpensive and a great alternative that isn’t overfished

Herbed coley wrapped in parma ham (Abel and Cole)

Herbed coley wrapped in parma ham

The new cod on the block, MCS-certified coley, is a sustainable alternative for those concerned about overfished species such as cod or halibut. Here, fillets of sustainable coley are lavishly rubbed in a caper and herb marinade then wrapped in delicate slices of sweet organic parma ham, made from high-welfare pigs and completely free from preservatives.

Prep time: 35 minutes
Serves: 2

For the herbed coley:
A large handful of mixed soft herbs (parsley, dill, chives, mint, etc)
1 lemon
1 tsp capers
1 shallot
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sustainably sourced coley fillets
4-6 slices organic parma ham
250g cherry vine tomatoes
Cooked puy lentils
Watercress

Preheat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/Gas 4

Finely chop your herbs and place them on a large plate. Zest over the lemon.

Finely chop the capers. Peel and finely chop the shallot and add them and the capers to the herbs.

Crack over plenty of black pepper and drizzle over 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix to combine.

Place the coley fillets on the plate and turn them over a few times to coat them.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place two slices of parma ham side-by-side and overlapping slightly. Repeat with another two slices. Pop a coley fillet at one end of a parma ham layer. Top with the remaining herb mix then roll the fish to wrap it in the ham. Repeat with the other fillet. Use another slice or two to patch up any holes or splits in the ham. The ends of the fish don’t need to be covered.

Tumble the cherry tomatoes onto the tray around the coley.

Slide the tray into the oven for 20 minutes. The parma ham should be crisp, the fish cooked through and flaky, and the cherry tomatoes soft and bursting.

Serve the fish with the cherry tomatoes, puy lentils, some peppery watercress and wedges of lemon.

Recipe from Abel and Cole.