Bacon-wrapped coley with cheesy polenta

Top tip

This recipe features coley but cod, hake or haddock could be used in this dish. However, if you usually just cook with cod or haddock, coley is a great alternative that can be cheaper, is just as delicious and still has a beautiful, flaky and meaty texture.

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Put the polenta in a saucepan and cover with 1 litre water. Season with a good pinch of salt and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until it resembles runny porridge. After 30-35 minutes, add the butter, cheese and cayenne/Tabasco. Stir until smooth and season to taste.
2. Meanwhile, stretch out the bacon/pancetta with the flat of a knife blade and wrap each fillet of coley carefully in 2 slices to cover the fish like a parcel, then put in an ovenproof dish lined with baking paper. When the polenta has 15 minutes of cooking time remaining, put the fish in the oven. After 10 minutes, spoon over the barbecue sauce and cover with the cheese and thyme. Return the dish to the oven to cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
3. Serve the coley on a bed of cheesy polenta with green vegetables on the side.

First featured in Delicious Magazine.

“When you buy seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel, you’re supporting sustainable fishing communities all over the UK and Ireland who are helping protect our ocean.” James Strawbridge

Photography by David Loftus