Smoked Haddock & Leek Hash, Poached Egg, Parsley Sauce

The misses and I went to the coast last summer with the sole intent of eating at Mark Hix Lyme Regis (@hixrestaurants). He is the master of understated, seasonal and bloody tasty food - and I highly recommend his books and food columns. This is one of the dishes I ate there and it left a delicious lingering memory. It makes for a very quick mid-week supper making use of any leftover cold boiled potatoes you may have kicking about. 

Ingredients:

Leftover boiled potatoes - 400g, cut into chunks

Undyed Smoked Haddock - 400g

Leeks - 400g, washed and trimmed weight

Parsley - a large handful, chopped

Veg Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - a large knob

Plain Flour - 1 tbsp

Milk - about half a pint

Very fresh eggs - 2 large ones

Method:

First poach the haddock in the milk. Place the whole fillet in a pan, add the milk, cover with parchment and gently simmer for a few minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Drain, reserving the milk and allow the fish to cool before flaking and discarding the skin and any bones.

In a non-stick frying pan melt a little butter and slice the leeks into 2 cm rings. Add the leeks cut side down along with a few tbsp of water. Cover with parchment and gently fry until the leeks are soft and starting to colour on one side. Remove the leeks from the pan and set aside. Add a splash of veg oil to the same pan and fry the potatoes on a medium heat until the edges start to colour and crisp. 

In the meantime get a deep pan of boiling water on for the poached eggs. When boiling give the water a swirl and gently break the eggs into the centre of the vortex poaching until cooked but with a runny centre. You can tell if they are cooked by gently lifting the egg out of the water and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

Add the leeks and haddock to the potatoes along with a little knob of butter and some seasoning - warm through. Heat the remaining butter in a small pan, add the flour to make a roux and then pour in the reserved poaching milk stirring continuously to make a white sauce. When the sauce has thickened, simmer for a minute or so to cook out the flour then adjust the seasoning. Toss a little parsley into the fish mixture, the rest into the sauce. 

Plate up the hash, top with an egg and serve the parsley sauce on the side. 

Montgomery Cheddar & Tewkesbury Mustard Scones

I'm so over Christmas now. I'm all feasted out; liver destroyed; bloated; corpulent; lethargic. There are however the last few festive season leftovers to deal with. 

There will be no fooling you that these are just cheese scones despite the poncey title. But what is wrong with a simple scone done well? If you have some seriously mature cheddar and some artisan mustard, your scones are elevated to something rather special. Especially when eaten warm with an obscene amount of good butter. Tewkesbury mustard (@tewkesmustardco) has the interesting addition of horseradish and a little cider - all of which work extremely well to enhance the flavour of the cheddar. The quantities here result in quite a mustardy scone, add more or less to your taste.

Ingredients:
Self Raising Flour - 225g
Salted butter - 50g
Ful fat milk - 150ml
Salt - a pinch
Tewkesbury Mustard - 1 level tbsp
Grated cheddar - 100g (50g to go in the scone, 50g to go on the top)

Method:

Put half the cheese and all the remaining ingredients except the milk in the food processor - blitz to breadcrumb stage. Add the milk and pulse to make a dough. Tip onto a floured work surface and form into a nice round disc a fraction less than an inch thick. Heat the oven to 210c an transfer the dough disc onto a buttered baking sheet. Brush the dough with a little more milk and using a knife or pastry scraper cut the dough into 6 or 8 segments. Scatter over the rest of the cheese and bake for 15 to 20 mins until golden and cooked through. You can tell if the scones are cooked by pusing a metal skewer into the centre of the dough and leaving for a few seconds. If the skewer is very hot when placed to the lips, the scones should be cooked. If in doubt, drop the oven temperature to 160c and cook for a few minutes more. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before devouring.

These do make a great foil for soft blue cheese and chutney but that would just be extravagant so soon after Christmas.....

Scallop Roasted on the Half-Shell, Sweet Herb Butter

It is always a challenge to get punters at the pub to order a starter, especially with something as intrinsically expensive as a plate of scallops. So we have started to do little 'shooter' starters where you can order a single scallop for a couple of quid - almost like an amuse-bouche. 

I pinched the idea for this recipe from the Lido restaurant in Bristol where they roast scallops and many other things in their beautiful wood fired oven. I have no such luxury and the end result is only marginally superior to a searingly hot domestic oven or grill. This is quite a forgiving way to cook spanking fresh scallops - as long as they are warmed through they will taste fantastic. Remember that fresh scallops can be eaten raw so don't let stress overcome you - the enemy is overcooking.

Ingredients:

Tarragon - 20g

Dill - 10g

Parsley - 20g

Chervil - 20g

Garlic - 2 fat cloves

Butter - 100g, room temperature

Scallops - as many as you like, on the half shell

Salt and pepper

Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

Heat your oven or grill to maximum. Separate the herbs from any woody or thick stems and finely chop along with the peeled garlic. Mix well into the butter with a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Add a teaspoon of the butter to each shell and lightly season the scallops. Roast in a hot oven or under the grill until just starting to firm up. If using a grill then you will need to turn the scallops halfway through the cooking process. 

You can tell if the scallops are cooked by touch (if you have the skills), or by inserting a thin knife into the centre of the scallop and leaving for a few seconds - if the knife tip is 'bath' temperature when touched to the lips, then they are cooked.

Melt a little extra butter and spoon over the scallops, add a wedge of lemon and a small piece of good bread to mop up the juices.