Ingredients

• 200g/7oz dry salt-cod
• ½ bunch flatleaf parsley
• leaves picked
• 200ml/7fl oz olive oil
• pinch salt
• 1 large baking potato
• 100g/3½oz salt
• 1 litre/1¾ pints full-fat milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig thyme
• 6 garlic cloves
• peeled and bruised
• 400ml/14fl oz olive oil
• 200ml/7fl oz extra virgin olive oil
• ground white pepper
• 16g sachet squid ink
• ½ lemon
• juice only
• 350g/12oz small squid
• cleaned
• cut into pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 baguette
• thinly sliced
• toasted
• rubbed with garlic
• ground Espelette pepper (Basque chilli pepper)

Directions

• Soak the cod in water and leave in the fridge for 48 hours
• changing the water at least four times.
• For the parsley oil
• blanch the parsley in boiling water until very tender. Drain and squeeze dry. Put in a blender with the olive oil and pinch of salt. Blend for two minutes. Hang in a muslin cloth over a bowl. Leave overnight and collect the parsley oil.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C (fan)/Gas 6.
• Sit the potato on a pile of salt on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour
• until tender. When cool enough to handle
• remove the skin.
• Drain the cod. Put it in a saucepan and cover with milk. Add the bay leaves
• thyme and garlic. Bring just up to the boil and then turn off the heat. Leave for a few minutes and then carefully flake the fish leaving behind any bones and skin. Sieve the milk and reserve.
• Put the cod in a food processor with a third of its volume of potato. Add a ladleful of poaching milk and start to blend. With the motor running
• slowly drizzle in the olive oil
• until you have a silky
• smooth mixture. Add a little more milk or potato if necessary. Season with ground white pepper.
• For the ink vinaigrette
• whisk together the squid-ink
• lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pan and warm gently.
• Heat a griddle pan to hot. Lightly season the squid with salt and black pepper and cook on the griddle for 3-4 minutes
• or until done to your liking.
• To serve
• spoon the warm salt cod brandade onto hot plates and top with the squid and garlic croutons. Dress with a little of the ink vinaigrette and parsley oil. Sprinkle over the Espelette pepper and serve straight away.