Poached Haddock

Fish is something I am really fussy about. As a teenager I was a vegetarian, I ate fish and dairy products but I didn’t eat meat. My father, the biological one bbq’d a fish for me once, but it was over cooked, dry and it had a really peculiar texture to it, on the outside, oh my goodness, it was just really foul. I don’t like the bones either, that’s more of a phobia though, and probably why I don’t like bones in general. In 1982, I was really young at the time but it sticks out in my mind like it was yesterday. At about the sametime as the Queen Mother, I got a fish bone stuck in my throat, fortunately for me, I was sick and it got dislodged and came back up again unlike the Queen Mother who required and operation to remove it. All fish bones put me off now, even the teeny weeny tiny ones, that you can eat. The moment that I feel them in my mouth, my gag reflex, which is sensitive at the best of times, works over time. I keep trying but I just can’t get passed it no matter how hard I try. So fish has to be filleted already, when I do it myself I enjoy it even less than usual, you can bet your bottom dollar that if there is going to be a bone it will be in my portion. I can eat fish in one of three ways, poached, ‘en papillote’ – which is a folded pouch or parcel, either out of tinfoil or baking paper, I usually use tinfoil because I have plenty of it in the house but the more traditional way is to do it in the baking paper/parchment. You can serve it on the plate still wrapped up, and then when the recipient opens it, they get a lovely waft of delicious smelling steam, it looks attractive too. I also like to smoke it on the bbq using one of those smoker planks. Poaching tends to be my method of choice though, less fiddly I suppose and faster, usually, plus you get the added bonus of using the liquid to make a sauce. Although I read one of Heston Blumenthals recipe books and he suggests poaching it in olive oil over a low heat, he says it’s even tastier. Basically his method is to bring the oil up to 50˚C/122˚F add the fish and then bring it back up to the 50˚C/122˚F and cook the fish that way, I can’t remember the times but I do know the core temperature of the fish should be 45˚C/113˚F, I think the only reason I remember that much is because I was surprised at how low that seemed. I’ll have to try it one day.

 

Poached Haddock in a Cream Sauce

2 smoked haddocks

2 tbsp crème fraiche

10g butter

150ml whole milk

Ground black pepper

1tsp dried parsley

1. In a skillet place your fish and pepper covering it in the milk, gently simmer for about 10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked, it will flake easily once it is done, remove the fish and place it on a plate covering with tinfoil.
2. Increase the heat, add the crème fraiche and simmer for a few minutes, so that the sauce reduces and thickens slightly, whisk in the butter and return the fish back to the sauce, let it simmer gently for a little longer, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

My husband is let loose in 'my office'

In January 2011, my knee was playing up again, the pain had started just before Christmas, but because of the girls I was trying to “get through it” but the pain was that bad, I had to go to the doctor, I was told to rest and keep it elevated. Anyway that meant for the next few weeks (it was actually more like 10 weeks) my husband was let loose in the kitchen. He would bring a chair through to the kitchen and sort out a stool, so I could rest my leg. I know he was humouring me because the kitchen is my domain, or ‘My Office’ as my husband and one of his best friends call it, after all, all I did was bark orders at him, from the recipe book – but he could have done it alone, he was just including me in one of my few pleasures. It was a miserable time.

Ravioli And Shrimp

½ large onion, finely diced

2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cornflour
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 pack fresh ravioli
400ml single cream
500g cooked shrimp
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp minced chives
 

1. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the butter until tender.
2. Put the tomatoes in a blender, process until pureed, add the brown sugar and flour, then process again, now add it to the onion, add the bay leaf, clove, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the ravioli according to the instructions. Take out the bay leaf and the clove, from the sauce, reduce the heat again and slowly add the cream and then the shrimp, stir and heat through. Drain the ravioli, serve with the sauce and top with parmesan and chives.

Trout Swiss Style

Well if you like trout, then this is one for you, it’s traditionally a Swiss dish. It was made equally by the rich and the farming homes. Trout used to be cheap around the around the lakes, and were bigger than those found in the brooks – I’m a fountain of useless information…….

 Lake Geneva Trout Fillets

2 large trout, filleted but not skinned

100g shallots, finely diced

50g mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

50g butter

150ml sour cream

100ml white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

4tsp chopped parsley

2tsp salt

Pepper

1tsp garlic powder 

1. First preheat your oven to 180˚C, 350˚F, gas 4. Grease a shallow oven proof dish with the butter, then place a thick layer of the shallots in the bottom, sprinkle with a little salt. Next season your trout with salt and pepper, the lemon juice and garlic powder, put them in the dish on top of the shallots, next layer with the mushrooms followed by the tomatoes and parsley.
2. Pour the wine over the top, cover with baking paper and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and carefully pour the cooking fluid into a pan, add the cream and cook for a few minutes. Then put it over the trout again. Serve with buttered potatoes and a crispy green salad.

Beckey’s Lobster Cakes – Not to pretentious naming this after myself – Ahahaha – not one of my most inspirational moments – Oh well we are all entitled to a few dodgy moments in life – ok so I’ll be honest I have a few dodgy moments a day, but a day – life, what’s the difference? These are really good and I am very proud of them, inspired by store bought originally. I wrote down the ingredients, then put them altogether and made my own. A friend of mine used this recipe to make her own and said she loved them, the only criticism, if you can call it that was that it needed a few dashes of hot sauce to zing them up a bit, add it or don’t or split the mixture in half and add it to one half to see which you prefer… I would just like to say a big thank you to my friend for suggesting it….. :o)

Beckey's Lobster Cakes

1/2 lb flaked pollock

1/2 lb flaked lobster or snow crab
milk to cover pollock - to be retained
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 large beaten eggs
3 slices of whole wheat bread - crumbed
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tsp tomato paste

1. In a frying pan or skillet, poach the pollock in the milk, bay leaves and fennel. Bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer until fish starts to flake.

2. Flake the lobster, in a large bowl, mix the lobster, eggs, bread, garlic salt, lemon and tomato paste.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F, remove the pollock from the pan, flake and add to the lobster mixture, sieve and retain the milk, add about a 1/4 cup to the lobster mixture, so you have a firm but moist consistency.

4. Make the patties to a desired size. Place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn and bake for 10 more minutes.

Seaside Fish Cakes

For a nice variation on fish cakes, these are super, the original recipe said to use two cans of Salmon – drained, skin and bones removed – I poached to large salmon filets instead, retaining the milk for the recipe – also I would use Ritz crackers, and not saltines, but that’s our preference.

Salmon Fish Cakes

2 large Salmon Fillets

Enough milk to cover salmon (1 cup to be retained)

2 beaten eggs

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 cups crushed Ritz Crackers/Saltines if preferred

2 tsp finely chopped onion

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Dill Sauce

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp dill

¼ tsp salt

Dash pepper & nutmeg

1 ½ cups milk

1. In a large skillet, place your salmon fillets and cover with the milk, cook until done, it should easily flake with a fork, when they are ready, remove them from the pan, carefully flake them checking for bones as you go, also remove any skin if there is any.
2. Next put the beaten eggs, cup of retained milk, lemon juice, Ritz crackers/Saltines, onion, salt and pepper, into a large mixing bowl. Add the salmon and mix well. Shape your fish cake mix into, 12 patties, place on a greased baking sheet, and bake for about 30 – 35 minutes at 350˚F (180˚C) or until lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile, gently melt the butter in a saucepan, then mix the, flour, dill, salt, pepper and nutmeg with the milk. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the saucepan, bring to the boil and stir continuously until it’s thickened. Serve with the patties.

poaching fish

This recipe is another of my own, and also the other way that I like to cook fish, I have a serious issue with "crispy" fish, I can't stand the texture, but love the taste - rather unfortunate if you ask me. It's like, for example, if you really like peanuts but can't eat them because of a nut allergy, to me that's really unlucky, but at least you have a reason! I just start to gag because of the texture, how incredibly lame is that? Anyway by poaching the fish, you can pretty much bet your bottom dollar, that the fish will be perfectly cooked, and it only takes a few minutes...... I serve this with new potatoes and vegetables. The milk I turn into a white sauce, simply by adding a little flour to cold liquid and pouring it into the milk,

cook stirring continuously until it thickens and        

season to taste.                                                       

   Poached Fish

2 fish fillets of choice

milk

salt and pepper 

1 bay leaf

tsp Italian dried herbs

butter

1 tbsp cornflour

50 ml white wine

1. Place fish in a large skillet, cover half way with the milk, add salt and pepper to taste, the bay leaf, Italian herbs and a knob of butter. Cook until the fish is cooked, you can tell because it should easily flake with a fork...  You may have turn the fish over, to cook the other side.

2. Gently remove the fish, once it is cooked. Carefully wrap in toil foil and keep warm. Remove the bay leaf, from the fluid.

3. Add the white wine to the cornflour, and give it a good stir so that the flour has "dissolved" then slowly pour into the milk, gently bring to a boil, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.

Serve with new boiled potatoes and vegetables of choice! 

Easy Fish Dinner

We love fish, I think I have mentioned this before, I particularly like smoked fish, but I also enjoy fillets. Salmon, tilapia, cod and catfish to name but a few. I'm a little fussy about how it's cooked, preferring to bake it in tin foil or poaching it in a little milk on the hob. This particular recipe the fish is baked in tin foil, with a little garlic, dried Italian herbs, lemon and a little butter, but I've also cooked the same dish using a bay leaf instead of garlic, both are equally palatable. I suppose you could use both together if you wished. I serve the fish with new potatoes and mixed vegetables with the butter juices and a simple white sauce - but you could also serve it with a green salad and crusty garlic bread or some such. Simplicity at it's best.                                                                                                                        

Baked Salmon Steak Supper

2 Salmon Fillets

1 garlic clove, minced and divided

2 knobs of butter

1 teaspoon Italian mixed herbs

1/2 lemon, juice

salt and pepper to taste

1.Place the each of the salmon fillets on a separate piece of tinfoil, large enough to wrap it up, add a knob of butter, 1/2 clove of the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of Italian mixed herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste to each one.                                                                                                                                                    

2. Wrap the fish in the toil foil, and bake for 20-30 minutes at about 170 C on a fan assisted until fish is pink and flaky.

3. Serve with your sides.