A fish pie in the oven, heavy with smoked fish and cream; a pot of haddock and clam soup on the hob; a bowl of couscous warm with squid and paprika. Just three of the fish dishes I like to come home to when the weather is cold. Then there’s my quick fixes of smoked mackerel with dill cabbage or some pieces of pearlescent cod lightly coated with spiced crumbs. All will warm and satisfy, cosset and nourish.
Mackerel toasts with dill cabbage
Serves 2
smoked mackerel 250g
butter 75g
red cabbage 100g
hispi or other white cabbage 100g
olive oil 3 tbsp
white wine vinegar 1 tbsp
dill 10g, chopped
sourdough toast 4 rounds
Skin the smoked mackerel, break it into small pieces and put them into a bowl. Melt the butter and fold gently into the fish.
Thinly slice the cabbages. Warm the oil in a shallow pan then add the cabbage and let it cook, tossing occasionally, till wilted and bright in colour. Pour in the white wine vinegar, let it sizzle briefly, then season with the chopped dill and some black pepper.
Toast the bread, spread with some of the buttered mackerel, then add a layer of cabbage. Top with more mackerel and serve immediately.
Potato, haddock and clam soup with horseradish rouille
The late Robert Carrier has a recipe he calls bouillabaisse for northern seas. Dispensing with his tomatoes and lobsters, this is my version of that fine recipe. The pale green part of the leek is perfectly good in a soup of this sort, just trim off any exceptionally tough dark green leaves. The paper I put on top of the leeks as they cook sounds a bit cheffy, but it encourages them to soften in their own steam rather than fry, thus preventing them from browning.
There is much flavour in the meagre amount of liquor that the clams produce as they cook. It would be wasteful not to use it. It does require sieving though, as the tiny particles of grit, like those you get from mussels, could ruin the dish.
Serves 6
leeks 300g
butter 30g
celery 1 rib
parsley a small bunch
carrots 150g
bay leaves 2
potatoes 500g
stock 500ml
water 500ml
haddock 400g
saffron a small pinch
clams 500g
For the toasts
garlic 3 cloves
olive oil 3 tbsp
fresh horseradish 10g, grated
mayonnaise 4 tbsp
baguette or sourdough 8 small pieces
Halve the leeks lengthways, then slice each half into finger-width pieces and wash thoroughly under running water to remove any grit. Melt the butter in a heavy-based casserole over a low to moderate heat, then add the leeks. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper or baking parchment for the top of the leeks, covering them, then place a lid on top and leave to cook, checking and stirring regularly.
Dice the celery. Chop the parsley. Remove the paper from the leeks. Scrub and dice the carrots, then add them to the leeks together with the celery, chopped parsley and bay leaves.
Peel the potatoes, dice them, then stir them into the softening aromatics. Pour in the stock and water, then bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover with a lid, then leave to cook till the potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes, but check regularly). Skin the fish and cut into fat chunks roughly 5cm x 3cm.
When the potatoes are almost done, lower in the fish, add the saffron and continue cooking for four or five minutes. Place a separate, small pan over a high heat, add the washed and checked clams, cover tightly with a lid and let the clams steam for two or three minutes till the shells have opened.
Add the clams to the soup, straining the cooking liquor that has appeared in the pan through a sieve as you go. Check the seasoning – you may need a little salt – then serve in shallow bowls with the toasts.
To make the toasts, peel and crush the garlic cloves then pound them to a paste with a little salt and the olive oil. Stir in the horseradish then fold into the mayonnaise. Toast the bread then spread with the paste.
Spiced cod goujons
The Japanese nanami togarashi seasoning (a blend of chilli powder, sesame, dried orange peel, ginger and seaweed) and freeze-dried yuzu are available from Japanese stores and some major supermarkets. I use it to add interest to breadcrumbs, but also as a seasoning for pieces of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. The super-light panko breadcrumbs are available from major supermarkets. Failing that, use your own fresh breadcrumbs.
Serves 4
panko crumbs 80g
togarishi seasoning 3 tsp
dried yuzu 1 tsp
egg 1
cod or haddock fillet 500g
groundnut oil 6 tbsp
Scatter the crumbs in a shallow layer on a deep plate, then stir in the togarashi seasoning and the dried yuzu powder. Break the egg into a shallow bowl and beat lightly to mix the yolk and white.
Skin the fish then cut into thin slices, approximately the thickness of your little finger. Dip the slices of fish briefly into the egg then into the seasoned crumbs, pressing down firmly and turning them over till they are lightly coated with crumbs.
Warm the oil in a shallow pan, lower in the pieces of fish, a few at a time, then let them cook for three of four minutes till golden. Turn carefully with a palette knife, continue cooking for a minute or two, then lift out and place for a few seconds on kitchen paper before serving.
Smoked haddock and mushroom pie
Smoked haddock is my go-to fish for a pie. The price is reasonable, the flesh reassuringly firm and the smoky notes of the fish are blissful with the mashed potato. If you make the filling in a shallow casserole, you can pile the mashed potatoes on top and save yourself some washing up.
Serves 6
floury potatoes 1kg
butter 50g
double cream 150ml
parmesan 60g, grated
For the filling
olive oil 3 tbsp
butter 30g
button mushrooms 150g
prawns 400g
smoked haddock 600g
creme fraiche 200ml
grain mustard 2 tsp
parsley 20g, chopped
Peel the potatoes and cook them till tender in deep, lightly salted water. Check them every few minutes. When you can easily slide a skewer into them, remove from the heat, drain them, then beat till smooth with the butter and cream. Season with black pepper and half of the grated parmesan, then set aside.
For the filling, warm the olive oil and butter in a shallow pan, halve or quarter the mushrooms depending on their size, then brown lightly. Remove the shells from the prawns. Skin the haddock if the fishmonger hasn’t already done so, then cut the flesh into thick chunks. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside. Lightly brown the prawns and haddock in the mushroom pan, adding a little more butter or oil if necessary. Return the mushrooms to the pan. Stir together the creme fraiche, mustard and chopped parsley then add to the pan and mix very gently, taking care not to break up the fish. Transfer the filling to a baking dish, pile the mashed potato on top, making furrows with a fork or leaving it rough, as you wish, dot with a little butter, scatter the reserved parmesan over the surface, then bake for 30-35 minutes till the potato is golden and the filling is bubbling around the edge.
Squid and chorizo couscous
A thoroughly satisfying dish, with the grains of couscous soaking up the flavour of the chorizo and the mussels’ cooking liquor.
Serves 4-5
onions 2
olive oil 3tbsp
cooking chorizo 150g
squid 500g
mussels 1kg
white wine 200ml
water 300ml
couscous 200g
coriander 20g
olive oil 150ml
smoked paprika 1 tsp
black olives 30g
Peel the onions, halve them and slice thinly. Let them soften in the oil in a fairly large pan, over a moderately high heat, for 10 minutes till they are pale gold. Slice the chorizo into coins, discarding the thin, papery skin as you go and add to the onions. Cut the squid bodies into rings, then add them, and their tentacles, to the onions and chorizo. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes over a high heat.
Scrub the mussels, discarding any that do not close tightly when tapped on the side of the sink. Tip the mussels into a deep pan with the white wine and water, cover tightly with a lid and bring to the boil. As soon as the mussels have opened (a matter of two or three minutes), remove the mussels to a bowl with a draining spoon then sieve 500ml of the cooking liquor into the squid and onion mixture. Stir briefly to dissolve any tasty bits sticking to the pan then tip in the couscous and cover tightly, heat off, for 10 minutes.
In a blender, whizz together the coriander and olive oil to give a brilliant green puree. Remove the lid from the couscous and stir gently with a fork, then season with a light shaking of smoked paprika. Serve in shallow bowls with the mussels, olives and a trickle of the coriander oil.
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