With only a few weeks left of the Skrie (a firm, fleshy white fish from the cod family) season, here’s a recipe created by chef Michel Roux jr (pictured below). Caught straight from the cold, clear waters of northern Norway, the Skreiseason runs between January and April.

The cod spends most of its life in the nutrient-rich Barents Sea but on reaching maturity at around five years old, migrates back to its birthplace to spawn. Skrei is therefore a Norwegian cod in the prime of its life. The name Skrei is rooted in Norse history – word “skrida” which means to wander or walk. Ideally, the fish should be packed within 12 hours of being caught and kept on ice at a temperature of between 0° and 4°C.

800g Skrei fillet or 4 portions
5 tbsp salt
1 lt water
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Knob of butter
100g chorizo, sliced
2 stalks fresh parsley
½ pomegranate
1 lemon
Mashed potatoes
800g white potatoes, peeled and chopped
400ml milk
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Divide the Skrei into four portions.

Dissolve the salt in the water, and soak the Skrei in this for 15 minutes.

Remove and pat dry with kitchen towel.

While the Skrei is soaking, boil the potatoes until soft, mash and stir in the milk and butter to a suitable consistency.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Heat sunflower oil in a hot pan, fry the Skrei skin-side down, add a knob of butter and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Reserve the cooking oil.

Gently lift the Skrei into a lightly greased ovenproof dish with its skin side up, and roast in the oven until the fish is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Using the reserved Skrei cooking oil, fry the chorizo until crispy.

Shred parsley, remove pomegranate seeds and grate the lemon peel.

Mix the parsley, pomegranate and lemon peel with chorizo.

Serve Skrei portions on top of the mash, sprinkle over the chorizo mixture and drizzle over a little of the cooking oil.