Milk-Poached Smoked Haddock and Peas

This is an old classic Scottish dish from Findon, Scotland, where haddock is poached in milk and originally (and probably still) had for breakfast - known as finnan haddie.

This is not unusual as the British have a long tradition of eating kippers, kedgeree, and finnan haddie at the crack of the sparrow's fart.

Craig Claiborne, former food editor of the New York Times was apparently very keen on this breakfast, quoting; “Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two of hot toast, a pot of steaming Darjeeling tea, and you may tell the butler to dispense with the caviar, truffles, and nightingales’ tongues.”

What I really love about this meal is its’ true simplicity. Some might argue that it is too bland, but the delicate smoky flavor is truly wonderful with fresh peas, no frills. Not to mention how refreshing it is to experience a meal that’s not trying to be more than it is, is easy on the tongue and just as gentle to digest.

Ingredients:

Haddock fillets or steaks
Cup of milk
Dash of water
Salt and Pepper
Chives or parsley
Bay leave
Half an onion
Potatoes for mash
Peas

Boil potatoes and mash. Add a dash of milk, touch of butter and season. Set aside. In a pan, add a knob of butter or splash of olive oil and fry up some onion (garlic is optional), remove onion and to the same pan add milk, water, chives/parsley and haddock. Let simmer gently - you will notice the milk turns a lovely golden creamy colour. Season and remove fish when cooked (be careful not to over cook fish). Cook peas - steam or boil. Plate up with mash and peas. In the mean while add a half teaspoon of mezina/flour to your creamy sauce and stir till it thickens (optional, as some people don’t like a thicker sauce). Place fish on top of mash and pour generous amounts of sauce over the top. Garnish with chives/parsley. Heavenly!