Almond-Flour Cod Fritters with Romesco and Parsley

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place whole tomatoes and bell pepper on a baking tray, roast for 25-30 minutes until skins are charred and flesh is soft, turning once halfway.

While vegetables roast, toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat 3-4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Allow roasted tomatoes and pepper to cool 10 minutes, then peel off charred skins and core the pepper. Roughly chop both.

Combine roasted vegetables, toasted almonds, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, paprika, and salt in a bowl. Use an immersion blender or food processor to blitz until coarse and chunky, not smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

Season cod fillets with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add fillets skin-side down.

Sear cod 3-4 minutes per side until flesh flakes easily and reaches 63°C internal temperature. Transfer to a plate, cool 5 minutes, then flake into large pieces, checking for any remaining bones.

In a large bowl, combine flaked cod, almond flour, egg, chopped parsley, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Fold gently until mixture holds together but still has texture.

Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shape into flat oval fritters about 2cm thick. If mixture feels too wet, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm up.

Heat sunflower oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and a drop of batter sizzles immediately, about 2 minutes.

Working in batches, lay fritters in the hot oil without crowding. Pan-fry 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp at the edges.

Transfer cooked fritters to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. They should feel firm with a light crunch. Repeat with remaining fritters, adding more oil if needed.

Arrange fritters on a warm earthenware platter, spoon romesco generously alongside, and scatter fresh parsley over the top. Serve immediately while crisp.