The underrated haddock is a feast for the lover
This is a gentle but warming dish for those who do not want to get stuffed, but want a rich taste to last the evening. It only takes about ten minutes to prepare and 20 to 30 minutes to cook and so is ideal for a working day.
You can vary the ingredients, to be honest, even moving it away from the East Asian influence I have here. The most important idea is that this is fish steamed in the oven over stock and served on a bed of cooked cabbage.
Ingredients for two people
- 2 fillets of fresh smoked haddock
- 400 mil fish stock
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 carrots
- 1 stick lemon grass
- 1 thumb size of fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 spring onions
- 1/4 bulb of fennel
- 2 lime leaves
- big handful green cabbage
- small handful french beans
- ground nut oil
- Fist of coriander
- 2 eggs
- Good chilli powder
- How to do it
The haddock is going to be steamed in an oven, so, take a small roasting tin or pan and cover it with thickly sliced fennel bulb and the carrots. Slice up the lemon grass very thinly and scatter over the top. Chop up the ginger and 2 of the garlic cloves and scatter this over too. Finely chop up the stalks of the coriander, keeping the leaf for later, and scatter this over. Tear up the lime leaves and add them. Add the coconut cream and the stock.
Stir it all up and then gather the carrot and fennel in the middle. Lay the fillets of haddock on top and then cook in an oven for around 20-30 minutes at 200 degrees C. No longer of the fish will be over done.
While that is cooking, finely chop the cabbage, the other cloves of garlic and the spring onions. Stir fry them with the beans in a little ground nut oil, salting to taste and adding chilli powder so it has a gentle heat. If you want something a little more spritely, add a sliced chilli or three. Do not cook this too hot or the cabbage will catch and it will be inedible! Just get a little toastiness to it.
In a separate saucepan, poach a couple of eggs.
To Serve
Pile the cabbage in the middle of two large bows. Place the carrots and fennel on top and then the fish. Ladle the stock out round the edge. Top with an egg and chopped coriander.
And that is your lot. Quick, easy, warming and delicious. Healthy too!
