Weekend Foodie: Family favourites with plenty of flavour
Dianne Curtin: Haddock needs very little attention, apart from some basic flavourings.
This is a great time of year to buy fresh fish. Cold waters and swimming against rigorous tides lends great texture, firmness and flavour to the flesh. We are fortunate in Cork to be surrounded by an ocean where plentiful catches are brought to local fishing ports. If you live near the sea, you might be lucky enough to have your own fishmongers shop nearby. Nothing nicer than buying your fish from a shop which is close to where the catch has been landed and is fresh as a daisy.
Haddock is a great buy this time of year, as I discovered a couple of weeks ago. At around €10 per kg, haddock was the cheapest fish on the counter and represents great value for money to feed a family of four. Fresh haddock needs very little attention apart from some basic flavourings. I’ve used a sprinkle of chilli powder to taste, with fresh thyme and lemon juice. To add some luxury, I added a few peeled prawns on top. The biggest mistake people make with fresh fish is overcooking, which dries it out and makes it tasteless. So don’t be afraid of the short cooking time to ensure a moist and flavourful result. This is great served with a dish of creamy gratin potatoes and greens of choice.
For pudding, I'm going down the spicy route again with a family favourite; bread and butter pud that has some tropical sunshine in the form of fresh mango and ginger. With all the rain we have had of late, we need some sunny flavours to cheer us up! I think this combo will definitely get you hooked this weekend!
- 4 good-sized haddock fillets
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of chilli powder to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- Juice of a lemon
- Generous knob of butter for cooking
- 200g frozen king prawns
- Rinse the fish and pat dry.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sprinkle with chilli powder to taste and thyme leaves.
- Leave to marinate for 15 minutes in the fridge.
- Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet pan and add the haddock fillets in single layer. Place a knob of butter on top of each fillet.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice. Cover with a lid and allow to steam for about 6 minutes or until the fish is beginning to turn white and flesh is opaque.
- Scatter the prawns over, replace lid and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the flesh flakes when prodded with a fork, and the prawns are thoroughly heated through.
- Arrange on warmed plates to serve.
- 8 thick slices of bread
- Softened butter for spreading
- 1 large ripe mango
- 3 fresh free range eggs
- 450mls milk
- 50 mls cream
- 1 tbsp brown sugar plus a little extra for topping
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Extra butter for dotting icing sugar for dusting
Method
- Butter the bread and cut into triangles.
- Peel the mango.
- Hold it flat and firmly on a board with the palm of one hand, and cut horizontally, holding the knife flat against the stone as you cut. Remove the top slice of fruit. Turn over and repeat with other side. Trim off any excess flesh still on the edges of the stone. Cut the flesh into slivers.
- Arrange bread slices in an ovenproof dish, points facing upwards. Tuck the mango slivers between the bread slices.
- Whisk the eggs with the milk and cream. Stir in the brown sugar and ginger.
- Pour over the bread.
- Dot top of the pudding with butter. Sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar and a little extra ground ginger.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at Gas 5 375F 190C for 30 minutes, or until the custard is set, but still slightly wobbly, and the top is browned.
- Cover the top with foil if it becomes too brown during cooking.
This dish deserves a crisp white wine to match for a weekend sip. Portuguese wines have made huge strides into the Irish market of late, with most supermarkets stocking white and red wines from the country. It hasn’t been as popular with Irish markets as the wines of , Spain and Italy, but it is definitely making strides. So this weekend, I’m choosing the Esporao Pe Branco white wine from Portugal as a choice for this light fish dish. This is a youthful white wine with lots of fresh vibrancy, just right for the delicate flavours and brush of spice in the main course. There’s a good brush of citrus too which a fish dish always appreciates. Find it at Supervalu Stores on offer now at just €9.00 a bottle. Chill in the fridge for about an hour before drinking to allow it to cool but not be too cold to dumb down the flavours.
Haddock 1kg:€10.00 approx
Frozen prawns 200g: €2.79
Lemons x 3 net: 99c
Thyme pack: €1.19
Total: €14.97
Mango x 1 pce: 99c
Ground Ginger 28g: 79c
Free range eggs half dozen: €1.95
Milk 1ltr: €1.25
Cream 250ml: €1.49
Thick sliced pan: €1.29
Total: €7.76
App?
