To fry or not to fry that is the question?
You could also bake the coated cod fillets in the oven for a healthier take. I would brush the coated fillets with a little olive oil before baking for about 8 minutes in a hot oven.

Fish options
As mentioned, you could use thin fish fillets like sea bass or sea bream and then you don’t need to flatten them out as they are already thin enough. This recipe would also be lovely with chicken - use a chicken breast and flatten out until it’s nice and thin and then treat in the exact same way as the cod.

Breadcrumbs
I love using panko breadcrumbs which you can get from pretty much any supermarket now, or online. They are crispy, crunchy, chunky Japanese breadcrumbs and they give such a good crunch. But of course you can use any breadcrumb you like. If you don’t like the idea of a breadcrumb - you could opt for a light tempura batter which is also absolutely delicious. Highly recommend giving this recipe a go.

You don’t have to add the sesame seeds but I love adding them as I just think they work so well, I love the crisp crunchiness of them when they get fried and I love the flavour. The same way a fillet of tuna rolled in sesame seeds with a pinch of salt and then fried is incredibly good - one of my favourites in fact, this kind of works the same way.

A note on the bean salad
I love green beans - make sure you trim the stalks off the end before you cook them. I like to dress them whilst they are hot as they soak up the olive oil and seasonings but if I were making this ahead of time I would have the bean salad at room temp which is also v good. IF you do that, dunk the cooked beans in an ice water bath after yo’ve cooked them so they stay crunchy and green. If you don’t do that, they will go limp and a bit brown which isn’t quite what we are after.

What is the point of the parsley sprig Margie and does it really matter?
YES it matters a lot. Or it does to me. I just think what food looks like matters and you’ve taken the time to make something gorgeous so take an extra 20 seconds and make it look pretty - we eat with our eyes and making it look great maximises your enjoyment of it. Maybe it’s years of working as a professional chef in kitchens and for high end clients but I think it very much matters.

What do I do with the leftover tonnato?

• Make a huge plate of crudité to dip into the tonnato

• Spread it on some toasted focaccia and then layer up and incredibly sandwich with some thinly sliced chicken, avocado, and tomato

• Drizzle it on some hot green beans, a few jammy boiled eggs, chopped tomato and parsley for an incredible salad.

• Slice some perfectly ripe tomatoes and arrange on a plate and then drizzle over the sauce. So simple but really hard to beat.