Not a lot has happened here in Marylebone Towers, we had Pizza Movie night on Friday, homemade of course and last night was yet another fish night.

I have sorted all of the freezers out, one for fishy stuff, one for meat, soups etc and another for cheeses, vegetables, sauces, flavoured butters and creams, herbs and chillies and odds and sods.

Sometimes I feel that I am a bit OCD. Things have to be in their place, sweaters and tops in colour order likewise trousers, in fact all of my clothes and shoes.

Hence the need to sort the freezers, as although I have had the third freezer now for a few weeks, I had not done the sorting and now I have ! Sometimes I think we should have a lockdown, now and again, just to get jobs done!

Onto, our fish dinner. Cod with a crust along with wilted spinach, baby gem lettuce and potatoes. Himself had a choice of dessert, gingerbread, citron cake or mango ice cream ( any or all )

PAN FRIED COD WITH PESTO CRUST ( for 2)

1. 2 cod fillets or steaks skin left on
2. Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
3. 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan
4. 2 tablespoons pesto
5. 1-2 Oz unsalted butter
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. 1 cup breadcrumbs, preferably Panko crumbs

Mix together the pesto, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, lemon juice and zest. It should be well mixed and could roll into a ball, but not soggy at all.

Melt the butter, dry your fish and when the butter is sizzling, add the fish skin side down. Cook for several minutes, flip over for about a minute, the skin should be crisp , flip back and spoon over the sizzling butter over the fish. Take a ball of the topping and press onto the top of the fish. Place the pan under a hot grill to heat and to crisp up. Serve with salad or vegetables.

A tip about pesto and other sauces. As you might have read above in one of my freezers are flavoured butters and sauces. My mother and her generation never threw away food, it was recycled the next day. Had to be the next day as there was no home refrigeration. Growing up in a house where this was of necessity, I too do not throw food away, but I am helped by modern refrigeration.

Hence Pesto, whether you make your own or use shop bought, there is always left overs! Put a spoonful into ice cube trays and freeze. It doesn’t freeze into a solid cube, but enough to be able to scoop it out and wrap in cling film. Bingo, when suddenly you need just a little pesto,it is not going mouldy in a jar, but ready to use. I have all sorts of flavoured butters as well, but that is for another day.