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Irish Examiner
19-07-2025
- General
- 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
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: My Welsh Rarebit blends fish with cheese for an oceanic oomph
The Welsh Rarebit, in my book, is the ultimate of all open-faced sandwiches. Packed with the umami layered ingredients of ale, cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. It's a deeply moreish number. I had my first rarebit in one of my all-time favourite restaurants, the renowned St John in London. Founded by the great chef Fergus Henderson, he's a master of simplicity and the king of nose-to-tail cookery. His version includes English mustard powder and Guinness. Mine, as you'd expect, includes a little seafood. I'm not typically the biggest advocate of serving fish with cheese but it works so brilliantly in this recipe, using some smoked haddock to add an oceanic oomph. I've used a little fillet of Woodcock Smokery's smoked haddock in this recipe, but you could also use some smoked pollock. Or you could fold through some crab through the mix instead. A fundamental ingredient to a rarebit is beer. Some recipes call for red ales, others for porters, lots for stout. Here, I've opted for a more subtle addition, using Elbow Lane's lager to flavour the sauce. Elbow Lane Brewery and Smoke House produces five award-winning beers. Expertly brewed by Russel Grant and his team, they adhere to the principles of the German purity laws, using only water, hops, barley and yeast. For cheese, I've used Coolattin Cheddar from west Wicklow. Tom Burgess is producing my favourite cheddar in the whole of Ireland. Crowned the World's Best Cheddar last year in the World Cheese Awards, I implore you to try this. A mature raw milk cheese made only in the summer months, when the herd is grazing on clover-rich pastures, it's both fruity and nutty. You'll find it in most cheesemongers, but you can also buy direct from Smoked Haddock Rarebit with Fennel and Apple Salad recipe by:Aishling Moore I'm not typically the biggest advocate of serving fish with cheese but it works so brilliantly in this recipe Servings 4 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 30 mins Total Time 40 mins Course Main Ingredients For the rarebit 100g smoked haddock 300ml milk 50g butter (plus 30g for toasting bread) 50g plain flour 150ml beer 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1tb Worcestershire sauce 20g mature cheddar grated (plus extra for finishing) ¼ tsp white pepper Sea salt 4 x slices thick-cut bread For the salad 1 small bulb of fennel 1 small apple, sliced Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp golden rapeseed oil 2 sprigs of dill chopped Sea salt Method In a small, heavy-based saucepan on medium-low heat, gently poach the smoked haddock in the milk until the fish flakes when pressed. Using a slotted spoon lift the fish from the pot and place on a plate to cool slightly before flaking. Pass the milk through a sieve and reserve. Add 50g butter to a separate medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted add the flour and stir well using a wooden spoon. Cook for one minute before slowly adding the warmed milk to prevent lumps from forming in the sauce. Once all the milk is incorporated, add the beer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 4 minutes to ensure the flour is cooked out. Finish the sauce with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cheese and white pepper. Taste and season with salt. Add the flaked smoked haddock and transfer to a small bowl with some greaseproof paper over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool. Preheat oven to 200°C. Melt 30g butter in a large frying pan on medium heat and toast the slices of bread until golden brown. Place on a baking sheet. Divide the rarebit mixture in four and smear across one side of each slice of toast. Cover with more grated cheese and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until bubbling and gratinated. To make the salad, combine the shaved fennel and sliced apple in a medium mixing bowl. Add the chopped dill, season with salt and dress with the lemon juice and golden rapeseed oil. Fish tales Watch out for bones when flaking the smoked haddock. I like to keep the skin attached when poaching and discard when flaking. Season cautiously when making the rarebit mixture as the smoked haddock, Worcestershire sauce, and cheddar are all high in salt. It's very important to add the milk to the rarebit mixture when it's still warm to prevent any lumps from forming in the sauce. I prefer toasting the bread in butter in the pan, but you can use a toaster to save time and washing up. It's vital the bread is toasted before adding the rarebit mix. Use a mandolin for shaving the fennel and slicing the apples if you have one handy. Alternatively, you could use a speed peeler. Prepare the salad just before serving to prevent the apple from discolouring. Read More Seafood Made Simple: Why this vegetable should be the focal point of your dish
