This week's recipe has it all - crunchy, salty, crumbed fish; a smooth, tangy salad; and a zingy lime mayonnaise.
The versatility of haddock, whether smoked or not, means it can be cooked in various ways - poaching, grilling, pan-frying, for example - but for my money nothing beats coating it in fine breadcrumbs or batter and deep-frying it, as I suggest here.
Haddock with herb breadcrumbs, cucumber salad and lime mayonnaise
Serves 4
Lime mayonnaise
2tbsp white wine vinegar
Half tbsp caster sugar
2 egg yolks, as fresh as possible
Quarter tsp Dijon mustard
200ml vegetable or peanut oil
Zest and juice of 1 lime
A pinch of salt
Add the vinegar and sugar to a small pan, bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar then allow to cool.
Place the yolks in a bowl with the mustard and vinegar mix and whisk gently. Slowly pour in the oil as you whisk (you may need help to hold the bowl still). The amount of oil absorbed will depend on the size of the yolks. If the sauce looks like it is about to separate or is too thick, add a very small amount of hot water and whisk well. Lastly, whisk in the lime zest and juice and season with a pinch of salt.
Cucumber salad
1 cucumber, large, peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 large gherkins, sliced
2 tbsp chopped dill
20ml white wine vinegar
1tsp caster sugar
50ml rapeseed oil
A pinch of salt
A pinch of black pepper
Place the cucumber slices in a bowl with the sliced gherkins, dill, vinegar, sugar and oil. Mix gently mix and season with salt and pepper.
Haddock and herb breadcrumbs
10 slices of white bread
30g flat-leaf parsley
30g chives
30g basil
6 large haddock fillets
100g plain flour
A pinch of salt
A pinch of black pepper
2 eggs, whisked
For the breadcrumbs, cut the crusts off the bread slices and cut the bread into small squares. Add the herbs and bread to a food processor and blend until they've broken down into fine crumbs. You may need to do this in two batches. Lay the crumb mixture on a tray and cover until you are ready to coat the fish.
Heat the deep-fat fryer to 180C.
Cut each haddock fillet in half lengthways then prepare three large bowls for coating the fish. Add flour and a pinch of salt and pepper to the first bowl, the eggs to the next bowl and the herbed breadcrumbs to the third. Coat each piece of fish in the flour, dusting off any excess, then the egg then the breadcrumbs, making sure it's evenly coated.
Once the fryer is hot, gently place the fish in the basket and carefully lower it into the oil. Give it a little shake so the fish doesn't stick to the basket. Cook for 3 minutes until golden then transfer the fish from the oil to kitchen paper to drain. Season with salt.
Place a portion of cucumber salad on each plate and top with the fish. Serve immediately with the mayonnaise in a separate dish or on the side.
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