The Mocking Bird: Rocket & Walnut Pesto Crumbed Cod with Chickpea & Kale Salads

On a serious health trip with this entry, packing in the omegas, antioxis & vits, but NOT at the expense of a flavour-packed plate full of adventure that's also cheap and speedy to make.

Kale has been all the hype this last year or so, but I'll be honest, find it pretty bitter and uninteresting when steamed.

DeliciouslyElla however, has crafted a genius method of massaging a lemony/vinegary dressing that when well massaged in, helps break down the fibres and provide the same effect on the leaves that cooking would, whilst removing that bitter twang. I therefore have to credit Ella entirely for her recipe, mocking it straight from here, but detailed below.

The obligatory full ingredients shot... I will add that any white fish, chicken or even large veg will work really well instead of the cod in this. I actually twatted some chicken breasts with a rolling pin and breaded both sides later this week and it was bloody delicious.

Firstly, turn the grill to 200°C or to a medium-high heat.
Empty the kale into a big bowl and pick out the woody stalks. Sadly, the dressing won't fight through these so they're good for nothing but the bin.

Add 2 big spoons of tahini, the juice of a lemon and a spoon of white/red wine or cider vinegar (just not malt!) Start massaging the mixture through your fingers and you'll begin to feel it all breaking down and shrinking in volume. Do this for about 5 minutes.

Next, slice the pomegranate down the middle and place your hand over the seeded side, leaving gaps for the seeds to fall through.

Flip your hand and whack the back with a spoon until all of the seeds have scattered over the kale. Throw in a handful or two of pumpkin seeds, a sliced avocado, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and mix once more. Set to one side.

The beauty of this salad is that the longer you leave it, the better it tastes. Excluding the avocado, this will keep for up to a week in a container in the fridge.

For the rocket & walnut pesto add a bag of rocket, 2 handfuls of walnuts, 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of a lemon and a piece of crushed garlic, as sized out above, to your blender.
If you don't have a blender/the time to make pesto, buy some fresh basil pesto or even use some harissa paste to top the fish instead.

Slice up 100g of roughly chunked parmesan and blend the lot. Ideally you want some texture to remain, so try to avoid completely obliterating it.

Empty the pesto into a bowl, clearing out as much as you can. Then add 3-4 slices of bread to the blender. Give it a good grind of salt and pepper, a splash of olive oil and blend again until finely crumbed.

Spread the pesto generously over the top of the fish and scatter over the breadcrumbs. Don't worry about trying to keep the crumb just to the fish. Pile it all on and pat down with your hand to help it stick.

Slide under the grill for 10 minutes, then turn the grill off, leaving for another 5-10. Essentially the extra time will help the fish cook through gently on the residual heat, keeping the crumb crisp, and the fish moist.

Whilst the fish is under the grill, it's time to mix the chickpea salad. Drain the chickpeas, finely slice half an onion, roughly chop three tomatoes, a sliced red chilli, a handful of chopped coriander, the juice of a lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and mix.