AUCHMITHIE is a tiny village perched on a high cliff overlooking the North Sea, three miles north of the historic town of Arbroath in Angus. This weekend, Auchmithie is celebrating its fascinating heritage with the Haar Festival and not far away, at Glamis Castle, Taste Of Angus is also celebrating the region’s amazing culture of great food and drink, farming and fishing. Iain R Spink, the Arbroath smokie man, will be demonstrating his skill at smoking haddock in the time-honoured way first done by the fishwives of Auchmithie, where this delicious Scottish product was created over 1,000 years ago. It is said to date back to Viking settlers and indeed, many of the local surnames in this area, including Spink, are of Nordic origin.

Like Parma ham, Parmesan cheese and Champagne, the Arbroath smokie has PGI (protected geographic indication) status. Only haddock landed and smoked by the traditional method, within a five-mile radius of the town, can be called an Arbroath smokie. It was Iain Spink’s father, Robert, whose family has been curing and smoking haddock in Arbroath for several generations, who set about gaining PGI status for the Arbroath Smokie. The label – awarded to European products at the very highest level for their provenance and defined method of production – elevated this delicious speciality to another level, bringing great recognition to the harbour town and burgeoning its economy.

Today, Iain’s one-man roadshow tirelessly tours festivals, food fairs, markets, Highland games and other events across Scotland, where he sets up his smoke pit and sells the smokies warm from the fire. One of the earliest street foods known in Scotland, it is best eaten freshly cooked from newspaper with your fingers, It is full of natural goodness; a true comfort food.

The haddock are gutted, split and hung by their tails in pairs, tied with string, over a stick that is balanced over the smoke-pit. Traditionally, this is a wooden half-barrel sunk into a hole in the ground, slates placed in the bottom with chipped hardwood on top. Iain uses a mixture of beech and oak, but the combination is usually the secret ingredient of each smokehouse. Damp, hessian sackcloth, or similar, is used to regulate the flames and create smoke. This method is called hot-smoking and the process both smokes and cooks the fish within 40 minutes or so. It takes an experienced eye to know when the fish is cooked to perfection and it can be eaten immediately.

The But 'n’ Ben, a small cottage restaurant in the village street at Auchmithie, has specialised in serving Arbroath smokies as far back as I can remember. When we first had our restaurant in Skye over 30 years ago, we were aware of the affection with which the public regarded this special place and its signature dish, the smokie pancake. The restaurant had been heralded in the Good Food Guide and beloved of food writers such as the late-great, Derek Cooper, for many years. A visit there had been on my wish list for a very long time and the opportunity came around about five years ago. Eddie and I were exploring the east coast from Dundee, as far as Montrose, stopping on the way, at the beautiful Lunan Bay for a glorious walk on the beach. Until that day, I'd had no idea that several small cottages huddled around the harbour area of Arbroath still opened their front doors as individual fish shops and had small, working smoke houses in their backyards. I was fascinated by the whole process and the story behind the migration of families into the town from Auchmithie, where they were attracted by better living conditions and a safer harbour in the late 1800s. They brought their skills with them and this is how Arbroath became famous for the smokie.

Basic pancakes

(Makes up to 12)

110g plain flour

Pinch of salt

2 large eggs

200ml milk, plus 25ml water

50g unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

Method

1. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it, followed by gradual amounts of the mixed milk and water. Keep whisking ingredients together until they become a smooth and lump free batter mix. Stir in two tablespoons of melted butter and give a final whisk to ensure consistency is like a thin cream. Sieve finished mixture into a jug and set aside for no more than 10 minutes. Keep remaining butter warm.

2. Place pancake pan on a medium/high heat. When ready, brush a small amount of warm butter all over it. It should sizzle, but not burn. You only require the pan to be very lightly buttered. Immediately pour just enough batter into the pan and swirl it around to cover the base with a thin, even layer.

3. When it begins to look a little crisp and dry around the edges, quickly turn it over with a palette knife, or toss it over if you are feeling brave. Cook on the other side for a minute and slide on to a warm plate. To keep all the pancakes warm, layer them with greaseproof paper and place on the bottom of the oven on a very low heat, until ready for filling.

Arbroath Smokie Pancakes

(Serves 4)

8 cooked pancakes

1 pair Arbroath smokies

500ml fresh milk

4 leafy sprigs fresh parsley plus any stalks

2 bay leaves

8 black peppercorns

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 medium onion, chopped very finely

50g salted butter

50g plain flour, sieved

1 heaped tbsp each chopped parsley and snipped chives

2 tbsp single cream to finish the sauce, if required

Method

1. Put milk, lemon zest, parsley sprigs and stalks, bay leaf and peppercorns into a pan and heat gently over a low heat until just beginning to simmer around the edges.

2. eanwhile, unfold the sokies, slip out the backbone and flake the cooked fish away from the copper-coloured skin into a bowl. Break it up with a fork and check for any obvious bones. Discard skin and bones.

3. Melt butter in a clean, non-stick saucepan. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until pale and translucent, but not coloured.

4. Add the sieved flour and stir gently over a low heat until it is absorbed.

5. Sieve the warm milk into another bowl or jug. Discard the parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns.

6. Gradually pour the milk over the onion mixture, stirring all the time until it thickens to the consistency of a pouring sauce. Reduce heat and simmer very slowly for up to five minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent lumps forming.

7. Separate approximately a third of this sauce mixture into a separate saucepan ready for the topping on the finished dish.

8. Pour remaining sauce over the flaked fish, add chopped herbs and combine together well. No salt will be required.

To assemble

1. Place one cooked pancake on a board. Place approximately two dstp of the fish mixture on top, but off-centre. Roll the pancake up, placing it in an oblong over-proof dish, with seam underneath. Repeat until you have used all pancakes and mixture. Alternatively, make individual portions, placing two rolled pancakes into a smaller ovenproof dish.

2. Once process is complete, take the remaining plain sauce and pour it over the top of the pancake rolls. If the sauce seems too thick to pour, thin it down with an extra two tablespoons of milk or cream.

3. Place the dish in the centre of a warm oven (190°C) for approximately 15 minutes, until the pancakes are warmed through and the sauce is golden brown and bubbling on top.

Shirley Spear is owner of Three Chimneys and The House Over-By on the Isle of Skye, and chairwoman of the Scottish Food Commission, which is helping to build Scotland into a Good Food Nation. See threechimneys.co.uk or phone 01470 511258