Nathan Outlaw's Haddock Recipes: A Triple Treat for Seafood Lovers
Renowned chef Nathan Outlaw presents three exquisite haddock recipes that showcase this versatile fish in smoked, grilled, and poached forms. From hearty fritters to elegant rarebit, these dishes offer a range of flavours and techniques for home cooks.
Smoked Haddock Fritters with Cheese Sauce
Smoked haddock fritters, served with a rich cheese sauce, provide a comforting and indulgent meal. The fritters combine poached haddock with a choux pastry base, deep-fried to golden perfection. Outlaw suggests variations with smoked mackerel or crab for a personal twist.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 400ml milk
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 300g smoked haddock fillet, skinned and chopped
- 150g unsalted butter
- 200g plain flour
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 50g mature cheddar, grated
- 2 tbsp chopped curly parsley leaves
- 2 tsp English mustard
- 3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
For the cheese sauce:
- 800ml whole milk
- 45g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 60g plain flour
- 2 tsp English mustard
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 150g mature cheddar, grated
To serve:
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
Poach the haddock in milk and garlic, then combine with a choux dough made from butter, flour, and eggs. Fold in cheese, parsley, mustard, and spring onions, then chill. For the sauce, create a roux with butter, oil, and flour, whisk in milk, and simmer before adding mustard, chives, and cheese. Deep-fry spoonfuls of the fritter mix at 180°C until golden, then serve with the warm sauce, garnished with spring onions, paprika, and parmesan.
Grilled Haddock with Braised Leeks and Anchoïade Sauce
This dish features simply grilled haddock fillets with crispy skin, paired with braised leeks and a warm anchoïade sauce inspired by Provençal flavours. The sauce, a blend of anchovies, garlic, and lemon, emulsified with olive oil, adds a tangy depth.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 4 120g haddock fillet portions, scaled and pin-boned
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked, plus extra to finish
For the sauce:
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 8 anchovy fillets in olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 250ml olive oil
- 2 tbsp double cream
- 4 tbsp fish stock
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
For the leeks:
- Olive oil
- 4 leeks, washed and cut into 3cm slices
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 100ml dry white wine
- 100ml fish stock
Blend egg yolks, garlic, anchovies, and lemon juice for the sauce, then slowly emulsify with olive oil. Add cream and fish stock, then chill. Braise leeks in oil with thyme, garlic, wine, and stock until tender. Grill the haddock skin-side up for 5-6 minutes until crisp. Warm the sauce gently, stir in chives, and serve with the leeks and fish, garnished with thyme.
Poached Haddock and Roast Portobello Mushroom Rarebit
A comforting dish of poached haddock topped with a rarebit mixture on roast portobello mushrooms. The rarebit, made with cider and cheddar, adds a cheesy, tangy element that complements the mild fish.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 500ml full-fat milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 400g haddock fillet, skinned and pin-boned
For the rarebit mix:
- 25g unsalted butter
- 25g plain flour
- 100ml dry cider
- 150g mature cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp English mustard
- Sea salt, to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked, plus a little extra to serve
For the mushrooms:
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, outer skins and stalks removed
- 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked
- A drizzle of olive oil
- 4 tsp white-wine vinegar
- 40g unsalted butter
Make the rarebit mix by melting butter, adding flour, then gradually stirring in cider. Cook, add cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard, then season and spread to cool. Roast mushrooms with shallot, thyme, oil, vinegar, and butter for 20 minutes. Poach haddock in milk with bay leaves and thyme for 5 minutes, then flake. Top mushrooms with fish, cover with rarebit circles, and grill for 2-3 minutes until coloured. Serve with thyme leaves.
Sustainable Sourcing and Recipe Origins
Haddock, a member of the cod family, has faced overfishing but is now better managed, particularly in Nordic fisheries. Outlaw emphasises choosing sustainably sourced haddock, which grows quickly and can support increased catches with proper quotas. These recipes are adapted from his book, On Fish: A Seafood Handbook, encouraging home cooks to explore seafood with environmental awareness.
