Haddock pasta bake

Next episode in the fish saga. Using smoked yellow haddock again. Definitely not for those on a diet ;) wonderfully spicy.

You'll need:
smoked haddock
sour cream
mature cheddar
penne
pepper cayenne
ground coriander
fresh coriander leafs
black pepper

Boil the pasta. Grate some cheddar, cut the haddock into small bits. When the pasta is ready, transfer half of it into a casserole, sprinkle with pepper cayenne, ground coriander and black pepper. Be careful, pepper cayenne is very spicy, so don't add too much. Add the haddock bits on top. Add some grated cheddar and half of the coriander.

Pour a few spoonfulls of sour cream over it. Add the second half of the pasta. Add some more spices as required and a few more spoonfulls of sour cream. Add grated cheddar on top and sprinkle with the rest of the coriander. Put in the oven for 15 minutes, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Lemon mascarpone pasta with smoked haddock

This is my take three on fish that follows my visit to Billingsgate fish market. It's a rather unusual combination of flavours, but to my mind it worked pretty well.

The third fish I bought last Saturday was smoked yellow haddock. I always wanted to try it because it has this amazing intensive yellow colour:

It was this colour that inspired me to make this dish.

You'll need:
smoked yellow haddock (I used maybe 1/4 of the fillet from the picture above)
100g mascarpone
1 lemon (one half might be enough if it's juicy, but then it all depends on how sour you the sauce to be)
fresh coriander leafs (could be replaced by parsley)
spaghetti

While your spaghetti is boiling, prepare the sauce. It's quick, so best start doing it when your pasta is nearly ready. Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the mascarpone - both to be warmed up on a pan so that they are joined together to form a smooth sauce. Cut the haddock into small bits and chop the coriander/parsley.

Mix the pasta with the lemon mascarpone sauce and add the haddock on top. Sprinkle everything with coriander, et voila!

 Bon appétit!

Fishy classic

Whenever, one thinks of fish in the UK, the first thing that comes to mind is the famous fish and chips. Breaded cod is an ultimate classic here. This time however, I prepared what could have been seen as a classic fish dish in Poland some twenty years ago: fried herring with onions.

To my mind, fresh herring is a largely underestimated fish. Herring features in all sorts of marinaded forms, but as a fresh fish it is overlooked, seen largely as a fish of the poor (as a kid I had to steal from my dog to eat it). Yet, it is has very fine delicate meat and has not that many fish bones.

Herring is one of those fish that simply has to be served simple, any spices might only destroy its taste.

So, I only coated my herring with flour and fried it, just like that. I also fried some onion to go with it. I served it all with potatoes similar to those I previously, served with turkey (T is for turkey), but this time I added chili instead of rosemary, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Spicy red fish

The outcome of my little Saturday morning adventure, extra spicy.

You'll need:
One red fish (d'uh)
2 garlic cloves
coriander leafs
spicy crushed chili
butter
one (yellow) pepper
lemon

Chop the garlic cloves and some fresh coriander. Put part of the garlic and chili into fish's stomach, then fill it with coriander and add some butter. Sprinkle some more chili and garlic on fish's sides and wrap it in silver foil. Before you close the foil sleeve add some more butter. Put in the oven set for 200 degrees for around 40 minutes (time depends on the size of the fish). Slice the pepper and grill fry. When ready transfer everything on a plate, squeeze out some lemon over the fish et voila!

 

 

Bon appétit!

Billingsgate fish market

I couln't help but notice a scarcity of fish shops in the area that I live in. I mentioned it to a friend who suggested that I could go to a fish market near Canary Wharf. At first, I dismissed the idea as completely insane - why should I travel across London just to buy fish? But then my curiosity won with me.

Billingsgate fish market is the largest fish market in the UK. It dates back to 16th century. By19th century it was the biggest fish market in the world. Originally located on Billingsgate Wharf, it has been moved to the Isle of Dogs in 1982. Traditionally, only licenced fish porters were allowed to move fish around the market. However, a 'bitter battle' was fought against the rule stemming from the times of Henry VIII and it was finally abandoned this year (2012).

I have resolved to visit Billinsgate only to realise that the market is open from 4am to 9.30am (Mon-Sat). Can you feel my pain of waking up so early on a Saturday morning? I thought just as much.

Anyhow, there I was walking in the rain (of course it had to rain) making my way across still empty Canary Wharf to buy some fish. As I was approaching my destination, I could hear the seagulls, everything as it should be.

I was cold, I was wet, and ended up smelling of fish, but it was SO worth it!! I've never seen so much and so many different fish in one place!

You can find there anything from plaice almost the size of my umbrella to Jamaican skipper.

A few words of advice if you ever decide to go:
1. Wear old shoes, seriously.
2. Don't be surprised that if you simply say "2", you'll be given two boxes of fish.

PS. Can you recognise these beauties?