Recipe for :

This recipe has been reproduced with the kind permission of The North East of Scotland Fisheries Development Partnership.

In the Partnership's quest to promote haddock throughout the United Kingdom, they contacted Grampian and celebrity chefs for their assistance. This recipe was contributed by Shirley Spear of The Three Chimneys Restaurant on the Isle of Skye.

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Ingredients

225g smoked haddock fillet
150ml milk mixed with 100ml water
2 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, including the stalk
1 bay leaf
Finely grated rind of 1 large lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 small onion, finely chopped
25g butter
1 level tablespoon plain flour
3 large fresh eggs
125ml double cream
1 rounded tablespoon finely chopped flat parsley
2 spring onions (syboes in Scotland) chopped small, including the best of the
green tops
100g sliced smoked ham, roughly chopped
50g finely grated mature white Scottish cheddar cheese

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5, 375°F, 190°C. Place a flat baking sheet on centre shelf to warm. Line individual tartlet tins with shortcrust pastry and chill.

• Put the milk and water into a wide, shallow saucepan together with the sprigs of parsley roughly broken up, the bay leaf, lemon rind, a few twists of black pepper and some grated nutmeg. Heat until just beginning to bubble around the edge. Place the haddock fillet into the liquid and leave the fish to poach gently in the milk, over a low heat. This will take approximately 5–10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. When it is ready, the fish will flake apart easily. Remove the cooked fish from the pan and leave to cool on a flat plate. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and set aside.

• When it is cool, roughly flake the fish, taking care to remove any traces of skin and bones. In a clean saucepan, melt the butter until it is hot and foamy.

• Add the chopped onion and cook until soft, but not coloured. Add the sieved plain flour and mix into the onion to make a roux.

• Add 125ml of the milk mixture used to cook the fish, stir into the roux until it makes a thick sauce. Add the double cream and stir well. Leave to cook very gently over a low heat.

• Meanwhile separate 2 of the eggs and reserve the whites in a clean, grease free bowl. Whisk the 2 egg yolks together with the remaining whole egg and stir into the sauce mixture. Add the flaked smoked haddock, the chopped smoked ham, the chopped spring onions and the chopped parsley. Combine all the ingredients together well.

• Check seasoning. Remember that the haddie and the ham are both salty and so it may not be necessary to add any salt, but only a little more pepper. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

• Whisk the egg whites until forming soft peaks. Cut and fold these into the fish mixture. Pour the mixture into the chilled tartlet cases. Sprinkle the finely grated cheddar over the top. Place the tins on a flat baking sheet and bake in a moderate oven (Gas 5, 375°F, 190°C) for 25–30 minutes until firm and golden.

Shirley Spear
for The North East of Scotland Fisheries Development Partnership