Seafood Made Simple: New potatoes are here — try them in a smoked halibut salad
Serving them in their skins is non-negotiable, an absolute sin to peel these floury balls of deliciousness.
I love it when they're sold loose and you can pick through the soil-coated spuds selecting the perfect size for their intended use.
I always find cooking becomes much simpler in the summer months, with gluts of amazing fruits and vegetables emerging every week.
With fresh and seasonal produce dishes tend to require a little less labour. A welcome change this time of year, where even for me, it gets a little harder to stand the heat in the kitchen.
The coming of the first new potatoes of 2025 joins a table full of lots of other summer accompaniments.
Leaves from the garden with a simple mustard dressing, a tin of Cantabrian anchovies, a dish of summer peas and scallions with a little more butter, sliced gherkins and sauerkraut and an industrial-sized bowl of new spuds in their jackets covered in chopped dill and curly parsley, sea salt flakes, butter and the tiniest dusting of white pepper.
For this weekend's recipe I'm using a rather special piece of smoked fish to serve with new potatoes that I had stashed in the freezer some months ago.
A thick slice of an upper fillet of halibut, treated with salt, smoke and care by my good pal and oceanic sensei Sally Barnes from her Woodcock Smokery in West Cork.
This salad would work well too with smoked haddock, pollock, mackerel or trout.
The process of bathing the smoked fish in low-temperature butter results in a brilliant transfer of flavour from the fish into the butter, resulting in the most delicious dressing for floury spuds.
New potato & smoked fish salad
recipe by:Aishling Moore
The process of bathing the smoked fish in low-temperature butter results in a brilliant transfer of flavour from the fish into the butter, resulting in the most delicious dressing for floury spuds.
Servings
4
Preparation Time
25 mins
Cooking Time
22 mins
Total Time
47 mins
Course
Main
Ingredients For the salad:
200g smoked fish (halibut, pollock, haddock)
110g unsalted butter
400g new potatoes
2 sprigs of mint
Zest of ½ a lemon
4 large eggs
4 little gem lettuces or mixed lettuces
2 sprigs of mint
For the dressing:
1tsp Dijon mustard
1tsp apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp golden rapeseed oil
Method
Melt the butter in a heavy-based medium pan on medium-low heat before adding the smoked fish skin-side down. Reduce the heat to low and allow the fish to warm through in the butter. Baste the fish with the butter until flaking when pressed, approximately 5 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Reserve the now smoky melted butter.
Rinse and scrub the new potatoes to remove any dirt. Place in a medium-sized saucepan and fill to cover with cold water. Add the mint sprigs and a generous pinch of salt and lemon zest.
Place on a medium-high heat and simmer until tender but still holding their shape, between 10 and 15 minutes depending on the size of the spuds. Drain in a colander and allow to cool slightly before pinching the skin to expose the floury interior.
While still warm place in a small bowl and toss with the reserved melted butter to dress and season with sea salt.
To cook the boiled eggs, place a small saucepan on the heat and bring to the boil. Gently drop the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and plunge into an ice bath to cool immediately. Tap the eggs gently once cooled and peel before quartering.
To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small clean jar. With the lid on, give the jar a good shake and taste to correct seasoning.
Serve on a large serving platter, laying out the potatoes, eggs and lettuce first. Flake over the smoked fish, finish with spoonfuls of dressing and dill.
CHEF'S TIPS
When warming the smoked fish in butter it's best to keep its skin on. This will help protect the fish from sticking to the base of the pan and make it easier to remove to allow for cooking.
If you opt to use an oily fish for the salad, such as smoked mackerel, skip the butter step in the recipe.
If you prefer to steam rather than boil your potatoes, include the mint and lemon in the water beneath. They'll subtly flavour the potatoes as they cook.
It's important to dress the potatoes when warm to take on the maximum amount of any dressing. Cooled spuds won't take on as much flavour.
I like my yolks to be just set and a little fudgy so if you'd prefer a more cooked yolk, go for 10 minutes.
Read More
Seafood Made Simple: Steamed hake with a fragrant coconut and lemongrass curry
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: New potatoes are here — try them in a smoked halibut salad
The first sight of new potatoes immediately dictates what I'll be cooking on my next day off, giddy with excitement to spend an afternoon washing and scrubbing new spuds. Serving them in their skins is non-negotiable, an absolute sin to peel these floury balls of deliciousness. I love it when they're sold loose and you can pick through the soil-coated spuds selecting the perfect size for their intended use. I always find cooking becomes much simpler in the summer months, with gluts of amazing fruits and vegetables emerging every week. With fresh and seasonal produce dishes tend to require a little less labour. A welcome change this time of year, where even for me, it gets a little harder to stand the heat in the kitchen. The coming of the first new potatoes of 2025 joins a table full of lots of other summer accompaniments. Leaves from the garden with a simple mustard dressing, a tin of Cantabrian anchovies, a dish of summer peas and scallions with a little more butter, sliced gherkins and sauerkraut and an industrial-sized bowl of new spuds in their jackets covered in chopped dill and curly parsley, sea salt flakes, butter and the tiniest dusting of white pepper. For this weekend's recipe I'm using a rather special piece of smoked fish to serve with new potatoes that I had stashed in the freezer some months ago. A thick slice of an upper fillet of halibut, treated with salt, smoke and care by my good pal and oceanic sensei Sally Barnes from her Woodcock Smokery in West Cork. This salad would work well too with smoked haddock, pollock, mackerel or trout. The process of bathing the smoked fish in low-temperature butter results in a brilliant transfer of flavour from the fish into the butter, resulting in the most delicious dressing for floury spuds. New potato & smoked fish salad recipe by:Aishling Moore The process of bathing the smoked fish in low-temperature butter results in a brilliant transfer of flavour from the fish into the butter, resulting in the most delicious dressing for floury spuds. Servings 4 Preparation Time 25 mins Cooking Time 22 mins Total Time 47 mins Course Main Ingredients For the salad: 200g smoked fish (halibut, pollock, haddock) 110g unsalted butter 400g new potatoes 2 sprigs of mint Zest of ½ a lemon 4 large eggs 4 little gem lettuces or mixed lettuces 2 sprigs of mint For the dressing: 1tsp Dijon mustard 1tsp apple cider vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 4 tbsp golden rapeseed oil Method Melt the butter in a heavy-based medium pan on medium-low heat before adding the smoked fish skin-side down. Reduce the heat to low and allow the fish to warm through in the butter. Baste the fish with the butter until flaking when pressed, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reserve the now smoky melted butter. Rinse and scrub the new potatoes to remove any dirt. Place in a medium-sized saucepan and fill to cover with cold water. Add the mint sprigs and a generous pinch of salt and lemon zest. Place on a medium-high heat and simmer until tender but still holding their shape, between 10 and 15 minutes depending on the size of the spuds. Drain in a colander and allow to cool slightly before pinching the skin to expose the floury interior. While still warm place in a small bowl and toss with the reserved melted butter to dress and season with sea salt. To cook the boiled eggs, place a small saucepan on the heat and bring to the boil. Gently drop the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and plunge into an ice bath to cool immediately. Tap the eggs gently once cooled and peel before quartering. To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small clean jar. With the lid on, give the jar a good shake and taste to correct seasoning. Serve on a large serving platter, laying out the potatoes, eggs and lettuce first. Flake over the smoked fish, finish with spoonfuls of dressing and dill. CHEF'S TIPS When warming the smoked fish in butter it's best to keep its skin on. This will help protect the fish from sticking to the base of the pan and make it easier to remove to allow for cooking. If you opt to use an oily fish for the salad, such as smoked mackerel, skip the butter step in the recipe. If you prefer to steam rather than boil your potatoes, include the mint and lemon in the water beneath. They'll subtly flavour the potatoes as they cook. It's important to dress the potatoes when warm to take on the maximum amount of any dressing. Cooled spuds won't take on as much flavour. I like my yolks to be just set and a little fudgy so if you'd prefer a more cooked yolk, go for 10 minutes. Read More Seafood Made Simple: Steamed hake with a fragrant coconut and lemongrass curry
Irish Examiner
29-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: A tasty twist in the tail with this chilli-and-mint hake
This dish of peas, chilli and mint is one of my go-to simple suppers when I'm looking for dinner in a flash and the crisper drawer in the fridge is lacking fresh vegetables. This process works with just about any green vegetable: mangetout, tenderstem broccoli, green beans and courgette. It's fabulous with wilted spinach or Swiss chard too. It's a winning accompaniment to any seafood supper but, quite frankly, I'd happily settle for a large serving of these alone for dinner. It's also great with some pasta and goats' cheese for a more substantial serving. I've used hake tails for this recipe, an under-appreciated part of round fish. Tails are most often used up in fish-cakes or fish-pie mixes. Once treated with a little care and respect they can be just as satisfying as a chunkier fillet piece. At Goldie, we've had lots of dishes over the years to make the most of this cut. Deliveries of fresh hake, cod, ling and pollock all provide us with plenty of opportunities to add value to the tail end of these fish. Buttermilk fried fish tails is a dish we'll often feature on the menu, dredged in Cuinneog buttermilk and a house-fermented hot sauce and served with some bread-and-butter cucumber pickles and a lime mayonnaise. One of our best-selling dishes, makes this part of the fish the star of the show — our fish tail schnitzel. The tails are removed from the bone, skinned, flattened out with the back of a small saucepan and coated in a fine breadcrumb before being fried and anointed with apple cider vinegar, sea salt, brown butter and crisp capers. We serve them with a mustard-heavy gherkin and celeriac remoulade and a fudgy soy-cured egg yolk. Hake tails with chilli-mint peas recipe by:Aishling Moore I've used hake tails for this recipe, an under-appreciated part of round fish. Tails are most often used up in fish cakes or fish pie mixes. Once treated with a little care and respect they can be just as satisfying as a chunkier fillet piece. Servings 4 Preparation Time 20 mins Cooking Time 30 mins Total Time 50 mins Course Main Ingredients For the peas: 400g frozen peas 2 shallots finely diced 2 cloves of garlic minced 2 red chillies finely diced 1 lemon juice and zest 1 bunch of mint 3tbsp gplden rapeseed oil 1 tsp Sea salt 1/4tsp Freshly cracked black pepper For the hake: 4 x 120g hake tails or fillets 2 tbsp rapeseed Oil Fine salt Method Remove the hake from the fridge 15 minutes before you are intending on cooking. Pat dry to remove any excess moisture and season with fine sea salt. To make the peas: warm the golden rapeseed oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat to soften for five minutes. Add the minced garlic and chilli and cook for a further two minutes. Stir all the time to avoid anything caramelising. While that's happening, place the frozen peas in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to sit for 3 minutes before draining. Add the drained peas to the pan and mix well to coat the peas in the shallot and chilli-flavoured oil. Season generously with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, add the juice and zest of the lemon and toss to combine. Set aside while cooking the hake. Add the chopped mint to finish just before serving. For the hake: preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Preheat your frying pan on a medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil before placing the hake in the pan. laying the fish down and away from you, to avoid oil splatters. Once in the pan, do not disturb the fillet or move the pan. Allow the crust of caramelisation to develop evenly, approximately 2-3 minutes, until the fish is cooked 60 per cent of the way. Using a fish slice, confidently lift the fillet from the pan and place on a tray. Place the par-cooked fillet in the preheated oven for 2-4 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. Once cooked, dress the fish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and serve with the spicy minted peas. Fish tales Removing the fish from the fridge before cooking is essential to ensure even cooking. Make sure you're using a pan that's large enough for the number of portions you're cooking. Avoid overcrowding the pan; each addition to a cooking surface reduces the temperature of the pan. Work in batches if needs be. Carbon steel pans are a fantastic investment and perfect for fish cookery. They are excellent conductors of heat and require very little upkeep. Preheating your frying pan is the most crucial step in pan frying a piece of fish. The goal is to achieve an even temperature across the full surface area of the pan. Cold pockets will cause your fish to Stick. No matter what piece of fish you are cooking, when removing from a pan always lift from the tail end of the fish. It causes less damage to the skin. Read More
Irish Examiner
21-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: Flex your mussels with this risotto
Risotto alla Milanese is an iconic rice dish from Milan. It is typically made with saffron, bone marrow, an intense beef stock and generously finished with parmesan cheese. It's most often served with another famous Milanese dish; Osso Buco, braised bone-in veal shanks. Saffron, the hand-picked and dried stigmas of the crocus sativus flower, provides the risotto with its distinctive warm yellow hue and a wonderful floral undertone flavour to this dish. Saffron is a pricy ingredient, also known as red gold and considered the most expensive spice in the world. A little of these crimson strands goes a long way; when added to a dish that mainly consists of rice it balances out the economics. As always taking an oceanic approach, here I've opted to use mussel stock which rivals any beef stock when it comes to providing a rich and intense flavour. This dish is visually very impressive and just requires a handful of good quality ingredients to produce. I've also omitted the traditional parmesan used in risotto; with the inclusion of umami-rich mussels it's simply not needed. There are also very few seafood dishes that I think need the addition of cheese. Not to be intimidated, risotto-making is a walk in the park once you're patient, committed to stirring the pot regularly and adhere to a few key principles. The grain of rice you choose to use is the most important decision. Only arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano will do. All three are short-grain varieties that have a high starch content, yielding perfect creamy results. The stock being well-flavoured is imperative too. Gradually adding a well-seasoned stock will add layers of flavour to the risotto. The stock being warm is vitally important to produce a creamy risotto, the heat aiding the grains of rice to absorb the stock and release their natural starches. Mussel and saffron risotto recipe by:Aishling Moore This dish is visually very impressive and just requires a handful of good quality ingredients to produce. Servings 4 Preparation Time 25 mins Cooking Time 50 mins Total Time 1 hours 15 mins Course Main Ingredients 1kg mussels, cleaned 125ml white wine 1 onion, finely diced 1 stick of celery, finely diced 3 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves of garlic, minced 65g butter 300g arborio or carnaroli rice 1ltr vegetable stock ½ tsp saffron 1 bunch parsley 1 lemon Cracked black pepper Method Heat a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan on high. Add the cleaned mussels to the preheated pot, immediately following with the white wine and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Give it a quick shake and allow to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and pass the mussels through a colander with a bowl underneath to reserve the stock released from the mussels. Pass the mussel stock through a fine sieve to remove any grit. Discard any mussels that haven't opened. Pick the mussels from their shells and set aside. In a large heavy-based pot, sweat the onion and celery in the olive oil gently for 5-6 minutes to soften and sweeten, being careful not to allow the vegetables to catch. Season with salt. While that's happening, combine the reserved liquid from the mussels with the vegetable stock and add the saffron to infuse. Place on a low heat to warm. Add the minced garlic and sweat again gently for 2 minutes. Add the butter, allow to melt and then add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to make sure all the grains of rice are coated in the butter. Season with sea salt. Using a ladle or measuring jug add approximately 100ml of the stock to the pot at a time, stirring regularly using a wooden spoon Allow the rice to absorb the stock and release its natural starches before adding any extra. This will take 20-25 minutes over a medium heat. Once all the stock has been added and the rice is cooked add the picked mussels to the pot to warm through. Taste to correct seasoning and finish with lemon juice, parsley and freshly cracked black pepper. Fish tales To clean mussels, fill a large bowl with water and add the mussels. Using a small paring knife, remove any barnacles from the shells and the beard of the mussel. The beard is what the mussel uses to attach itself to the surface on which it grows; you'll find it halfway up the mussel. Rinse the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate until just before cooking. Mussels should only be cooked when alive so discard any that have cracked shells or do not close when tapped. They should smell fresh and of the seaside. If storing uncooked mussels in the refrigerator cover with a damp tea towel. Mussels and the liquid released when cooking are both high in salt, so be sure to taste before seasoning. To get ahead, you can cook and pick the mussels the day before and store both the stock and mussels in the refrigerator once cooled. Read More Seafood Made Simple: How to make a classic fish and chips
