Cod Cheek Scampi with Sriracha Mayo

This month's recipe is for one of our most popular dishes on the menu at Eight, cod cheek scampi. The first question that may pop into your head is "Where would I find cod cheeks?" There is an online fishmonger delivery service based right here in Baldock called Fish at Home (www.fishathome.uk). They stock cod cheeks which can be delivered to your door. All you need to do is meet a minimum order spend of £20.

The other great thing about this dish other than it being delicious and easy to make is that we are utilising a cut that is usually discarded. Most fish heads end up in the bin as it's an additional weight to transport for fish markets. There are a few fishermen that will extract the cheeks and sell them as a biproduct. The guys at Fish at Home then trim them up and deliver them ready to cook with. The only difference between this recipe and what we serve at the restaurant is that we batter the cod cheeks with a light, crisp batter whereas these are covered in breadcrumbs. Both are as delicious as each other. This recipe will feed 4 along with some bread and a cold glass of Riesling!

*500G cod cheeks - Cut them into bite-size pieces and marinate them in a bowl with a pinch of sea salt & some lemon juice. You can also use paprika and/or some crushed garlic if you like.

While the cheeks are marinating we can make the dip.

*200G good quality mayo

*1 tsp white wine vinegar

*1 tsp dijon mustard

*Pinch of sea salt

*50G of Sriracha

*Pinch of chilli powder (optional)

*Juice of a 1/4 lemon

Mix everything in a mixing bowl until well incorporated. Taste and add more salt or lemon if required.

Get 3 plastic containers at least 1 litre in size ready on your kitchen counter.

*100G plain flour

*1 tsp paprika

*Pinch of salt

*Pinch of finely ground white pepper - Mix together and put into one of the containers.

*4 eggs - Whisk together and pour into the 2nd container.

*150g natural breadcrumbs (panko breadcrumbs are the best to use) - Put that into your third container.

Fill a medium-sized frying pan with sunflower or rapeseed oil until the oil comes up to the first line on your little finger when the tip of your finger touches the bottom of the frying pan. Alternatively, if you have an air fryer you can use that. Heat up your oil to 180°C.

Whilst you're waiting for your oil to get hot you can start to breadcrumb your cod cheeks.

Cover 6 to 8 cod cheeks in the plain flour. Make sure every mm is covered, then toss it in the beaten egg and then cover liberally in the breadcrumbs. Once all the cod cheeks are breadcrumbed you can start to fry them off in small batches. They will take 4 to 5 minutes to cook through. If the breadcrumbs are getting too dark in colour then remove them from the fryer and finish cooking in the oven.

Drain off well on a paper towel and allow to cool slightly. Top with some finely sliced spring onions and serve with the sriracha mayo and a wedge of lemon.

If you struggle to find any ingredients in this recipe, feel free to pop by the restaurant where we'd be happy to pot some up for you to take home.

Enjoy!