Pan fried Haddock with pea & watercress puree

Now, before I go any further with this one, let me just say that it was an enormous learning curve - and yes I did completely overcook hubby's piece of fish, rendering it more akin to a piece of cardboard.  However, there was a reason for this - which I'll go into in a moment.

So, aside from the mackerel fillets which our neighbour had very kindly gifted us with after a particularly bountiful fishing trip, I had never pan fried a piece of fish before.  What have I been doing in my fifty-mumble-years?  Avoiding having to pan fry fish, that's what!

However, this week I found myself really attracted to the idea of a plain piece of fish - but didn't much fancy steamed.  Well that only left pan frying, so as hubby has been hankering for fish for ages, I put it on the menu list.

On to the next problem, which was to source some fish.  Having had a look at the wet fish - which was a parlous selection of River Cobbler or River Cobbler, I decided to go with frozen fish and bought a bag of Haddock fillets.  I reckoned that 500g would just about do for us - at a squeak - but hadn't reckoned on the fact that a good 200g of that 500g was water.


Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), hubby was suffering with a terrible gastric conniption (similar to man flu, except involving the tummy) on fish night.  No matter, thought I, son and heir and myself will just have to eat a little bit more fish.  Poor deluded fool that I was.


I defrosted the fish and suddenly the bag seemed a lot lighter than it had been.  Gulp.


Having opened it, I discover that the "fillets" were - to a fish - tail pieces that were so thin you could easily have read the newspaper through them.  Not only that, but they were no bigger than an A5 envelope - and two were considerably smaller.  ~rudewords~

Which is where hubby being off his feed, was a good thing.  Stretched between two diners, with a little piece for hubby, the fish would just about make it.  It certainly wouldn't have, between three hearty diners.


Owing to hubby's ailment, I figured that it wouldn't do to serve him any even remotely undercooked fish.  As it was, we were crossing our fingers that the fish was going to stay where it was put.  Which, coupled with my novice status as a fish cook, was why hubby's little wafer-thin piece of Haddock was more of a fish flavoured biscuit.  Hey ho.

I did manage to over cook the remaining pieces, but not as badly, as they were slightly thicker.  The whole process of making sure the pan was hot before placing the fish into the oil, then leaving the fish alone until turning it the once, was a huge learning curve.  After all, the pieces of fish you see being cooked on the t.v. are considerably chunkier - and I suspect I should have had the pan a lot hotter and left the fish in it for a lot shorter a time.


However, it got that first go over with - and I'm sure that with a half serious piece of fish, I'd do a lot better.  As and when I find some that's affordable, I'll let you know!


The pea and watercress puree was simplicity itself to make.  I was conscious of not over-seasoning it - and so wound up under seasoning it - but it wasn't anything that a quick pinch of salt and some pepper couldn't fix.  Everyone approved of the puree and even son & heir ate it, although he drew the line at his baked cherry tomatoes - strange boy!  I'll definitely be using this recipe for pea puree in other, future dishes.


As you can see from the photographs, I also cooked some oven chips to go with it as I figured some fish and pea puree really wouldn't keep a teenager from the crisp packets all evening.


Having broken my duck over pan frying fish, I'd very definitely do it again.  So if you've been avoiding it all these years like I had, take your courage in both hands and do it!  You'll be glad you did.


PAN FRIED HADDOCK WITH PEA & WATERCRESS PUREE  (feeds 3)


Ingredients :


150g cherry tomatoes, preferably on the vine
250g frozen peas
70g watercress
3 tbsp vegetable stock
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
3 x chunky haddock fillets
1-2 tbsp cornflour
olive oil.


Method :


1.  Heat oven to 180degC/350degF/gas 4 and line a roasting tray with silver foil.  Place the tomatoes on board and lightly salt and pepper.  Then roast for 10-15 minutes until slightly split.  Remove from the oven and keep warm.


2.  Cook the peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to retain their fresh green colour.  Add the watercress for just a second, then drain.


3.  Return both peas and watercress to the pan and add the stock and spring onions.  Season well.


4.  Using a hand blender, puree until the mix attains the desired consistency and set aside to keep warm.


5.  Dust the fish with a little cornflour, bat off any excess and season well.


6.  Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the olive oil.  Add the fish carefully so as not to splash the oil and leave to sear for 2-3 minutes (or longer if you're lucky enough to have a particularly thick piece) on each side.

7.  Serve immediately on a bed of the pea puree, with the cherry tomatoes by the side.

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Parsimonious Meal Planning

Amalfi Lemons

Well, last week's meal plan got thrown into total disarray owing to Alfie the Amalfi Lemon Coloured Skoda (in horsey terminology) throwing a shoe on the way home.  As we were driving along, I heard an ominous "POP!" followed by a clip-clip-clip-clip noise as the wheels turned.  Looking in the door mirrors at the problem area didn't show up any problems and as we were so close to home, I continued on.

However, having inspected the source of the noise, discovered a dirty great chunk of aluminium piercing the rear tyre.  *sigh* 

Alfie the Skoda - see the similarity in colour?

Having dropped off the dawgies, we got back in the car and went directly to Kwik Fit, where they relieved us of £50-odd and replaced the same tyre that they replaced only three or four months ago.  *bigger sigh*

All of which has made a tight situation even tighter - so "austerity measures" are in effect, this week.

Last week's Jambalaya, the pork dish and the beef stew all got thrown out in favour of a trip to the chippy (chip butties for hubby, a saveloy, sausage in batter & pea fritter for me plus saveloys & chips for son & heir), chicken curry and high tea (which utilised all the leftovers from Boxing Day that were still in the freezer).

In the meantime, hubby appears to have been struck down with some dreadful lurgy or another and is completely off his feed - which is jolly helpful from an economy point of view, but not very good for him!  I've been tempting him back into eating with tins of Heinz Cream of Chicken Soup and little temptilicious tasties like scones, but it is something of an uphill battle.  Fingers crossed, he'll be feeling better soon, poor chap!

So, what's on the menu list for this week, now we're watching the pennies even more than usual?

Well, it looks like this :

Tues : Seared haddock, pea & watercress puree with oven chips

Wed : Minced beef, mashed potato, broccoli, carrots & peas

Thur : Steak pie, carrot & swede mash, broccoli & peas

Fri : Sausage Pie, baked beans & oven chips

Sat : Spiced chicken legs, baked sweet potatoes & salad

Sun : Toad in the hole, carrot & swede mash, broccoli & peas

Mon : Pasta Bolognese.

You'll note that we're going to be indulging in quite a few occasions of broccoli, swede, carrots and peas!  This is largely because they are infinitely affordable, keep well (especially the peas, which are frozen) and in the case of the swede, because Asda delivered twice the amount I was asking for!

Thin, haddock postage stamps - is what it should say!

So, to kick off with last night's Seared Haddock - this was only my second go at cooking fish in this way.  Yes, I know.  Where have I been?  Avoiding cooking fish, that's where I've been.  For a long time I didn't enjoy the taste of fish, but things change - and I've got a bit more confident in attempting techniques that are new to me.

I thought a piece of plain fish might be useful for hubby's complaint, too - although by the time I'd finished cooking it to blue blazes (to make sure there was nothing that might affect his tummy adversely), I suspect he'd have been better off with a piece of fish flavoured cardboard.  *sigh*  Oh well.

Anyway, the larger pieces of fish (oh, and don't get me started on that gnarly subject, either.  I'll save that for the blog post!) cooked fairly well even though I was completely cack-handed at turning them in the pan.  Son & heir enjoyed his dinner, as did I, so with better sized pieces of fish I'd even give this another go.

Tonight is plain old minced beef with mashed potato and vegetables.  Funnily enough, this is one of my favourite dinners.  Neither hubby nor I are eating mashed potato any more, so I've been getting ready-made chiller cabinet mash, which son & heir reports is thoroughly palatable.

Thursday's steak pies are another cop-out, in that they are shop-bought individual pies.  Well, they claim to contain 80% beef which - if true - will make a change from 40-50% which is the norm.  Yes, I could have bought the beef and made the pies - but for £2.50 for a pack of 4?  I don't think so.

Friday brings a return to home prepared and cooked meals, with the Sausage Pie from www.goodfoodchannel.co.uk website.  It's a Tamasin Day-Lewis recipe, so is suitably quirky, involving sausage meat, sage and prunes!   I might even risk the censure of the family and make my own pastry.

However, I won't hear a word against the Spiced chicken legs that are on the menu for Saturday, as they also come from the same site - but the recipe belongs to the exalted and god-like form of Galton Blackiston, who can do no wrong in my eyes.

Don't argue with a man holding shellfish!

It is actually an incredibly simple recipe (and we like those!) involving marinading the chicken in a collection of almost-barbecue type ingredients overnight.  I'm aiming to buy chicken legs as our local butcher has them at 65p each - but I have a secret chicken breast lurking in the freezer if hubby is still poorly by then.  I know a chicken breast will go down far better with him, than ever a leg would!

I think some baked sweet potatoes will go well with the spicy marinade for the chicken - and together with a bit of salad, should get some good vitamins & minerals into those who need them!

Mind you - it'll probably snow if I go down the salad route!

However, I've planned for that - because Sunday's Toad in the hole should be just the job, whatever the weather's doing.  I just need to be brave about heating the oil before adding the batter.  Be brave, Jenny, be brave!

Pasta bolognese should round the week off nicely.  We always like a bolognese - and it's another good way of using up small amounts of vegetables that are lurking with no home to go to.

The meat involved in this week's menu list totals, a bag of frozen fish, two packs of beef mince, a pack of four individual pies, some chicken legs and two packs of sausages.  Reckon they shouldn't break the bank.

The veggie list involves : a bag of watercress, a bag of frozen peas, a pot of mashed potato, 1kg carrots, 400g broccoli, swede (3, according to Asda!) and some salad bits.  Could be worse.

Add in a bag of frozen oven chips at £1, plus a tin of baked beans and the tomato involvement in the bolognese - and I reckon we'll cope.

I doubt there'll be much extra-curricular cooking going on this week - but that leaves room for a mad flurry of the same, come next week!

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