Halloumi or Cod Provençal

I’m a huge fan of the briny salinity of capers and olives and the depth and zing they bring to a dish like this one. I make this provençal either with flaky cod, or another firm white fish, and halloumi makes for a great vegetarian version. Either way, it’s essential that you serve this with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the rich juices.

Total time: 45 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 100g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 40g green olives, pitted and cut in half
• ½ red pepper, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or sage
• 60ml white wine
• 100g halloumi or 1 piece of cod
• drizzle of honey
• salt and black pepper

To serve:

• crusty bread

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).

Add the cherry tomatoes, olives and peppers to a cast-iron frying pan or an ovenproof dish along with the capers, olive oil and herbs. Add the white wine and season well with salt and pepper. Mix everything together, then roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes the veg should have softened. Place the halloumi or cod on top of the vegetables and season with salt (you will need to season slightly less for the halloumi). Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top then add a drizzle of honey.

Roast for another 10 minutes for the cod, 15 minutes for the halloumi.

Serve with a hunk of crusty bread.