We live on an island and we are surrounded by beautiful fish. I was always a fish lover and filming the Seafood Trails series for RTÉ was pure pleasure – I learned a lot from the fishermen I met. A lot of them told me they love haddock.
I have two great fish recipes this week, I am using hake but you could use haddock in the crispy tacos. It is plentiful and good value and your fishmonger will pin bone and skin it for you. For your salsa, you will find lots of Irish tomatoes these days with the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark. If you would like to try a little twist on the batter I made it recently with some curry powder and sesame seeds added it and the family loved it.
Homemade fish and chips are always a bit of a treat. This pea purée is simple to make and if you add a few mint leaves it is delicious. It is worth making your own tartare sauce. It is very easy. But you might like to try one made by Spice O’Life in Dunmanway, Co Cork, which you will find in the Simply Better range.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Crispy fish tacos with tomato salsa
Serves four
2 x 350g hake fillets, skinned and boned
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
8 soft flour tortillas
2 Little Gem lettuces, finely shredded
300ml sour cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lime wedges, to garnish
For the batter:
50g plain flour
25g cornflour
175ml sparking water, well chilled
For the tomato salsa:
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
pinch of caster sugar
1 To make the tomato salsa, place the tomatoes in a bowl with the red onion, lime juice, coriander and sugar. Season to taste, then stir well to combine and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop.2 To make the batter, place the flour, cornflour, sparkling water and a pinch of salt into a food processor and blend until smooth. Cut the hake fillets into 1cm (½in) strips and season generously.3 Pour the vegetable oil into a pan until it’s about one-third full and heat to 190°C (375°F), or until a small piece of white bread dropped into the oil browns and rises to the surface in 1 minute.4 Warm the tortillas in a low oven or in the microwave as per the packet instructions.5 Dip the strips of the fish into the batter, shaking off any excess, and then drop them into the hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on kitchen paper.6 To serve, put some lettuce down the centre of each warmed flour tortilla and spoon over the tomato salsa, then top with the crispy hake goujons and the sour cream. Add a squeeze of lime and then fold in the sides of the tortilla. Roll it up as tightly as you can to eat.Fish and chips with chunky pea purée and tartare sauce
Serves four
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
8 Rooster potatoes, peeled
100g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
200g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp sesame seeds
4 x 175g firm white fillets, boned and skinned (such as haddock, hake or pollock)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chunky pea purée:
400g (14oz) frozen peas
2 tbsp crème fraîche
squeeze of lemon juice, plus wedges to garnish
For the tartare sauce:
150g (5oz) mayonnaise
50g (2oz) gherkins, rinsed and finely chopped
50g (2oz) capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp chopped fresh chives
squeeze of lemon juice
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2).2 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep-sided pan, making sure it’s only half full, until it reaches 160°C (325°F). 3 Cut the potatoes into skinny chips and then place in a bowl of cold water (this helps to remove the starch). Drain and then dry them as much as possible in a clean tea towel before placing them in a wire basket (you may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your basket) and lowering them into the heated oil. 4 Cook for 3-4 minutes, until cooked through but not coloured. Drain well on kitchen paper and set aside.5 Increase the temperature of the oil to 190°C (375°F) and prepare the fish. Place the flour on a flat plate and season to taste. Put the beaten eggs and some seasoning in a shallow dish and mix the breadcrumbs with the parsley and sesame seeds in another separate dish.6 Coat the fish in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg and finally coat in the breadcrumbs. Quickly place in the heated oil and cook for 5–6 minutes, until crisp and golden brown – the exact time will depend on the thickness of the fillets (again, you may have to do this in 2 batches). Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven – this should only be for 1-2 minutes, so the batter doesn’t lose any of its crispness.7 To make the chunky pea purée, cook the peas in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Add the crème fraîche and lemon juice, then season to taste. Using a hand blender, blitz to a chunky purée. Keep warm.8 To make the tartare sauce, mix the mayonnaise in a bowl with the gherkins, capers, herbs, lemon juice and seasoning.9 To serve, tip the blanched chips back into the wire basket and then carefully lower into the heated oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and season with salt, then arrange on warmed serving plates with the crispy fish, chunky pea purée, tartare sauce and lemon wedges.
We live on an island and we are surrounded by beautiful fish. I was always a fish lover and filming the Seafood Trails series for RTÉ was pure pleasure – I learned a lot from the fishermen I met. A lot of them told me they love haddock.
I have two great fish recipes this week, I am using hake but you could use haddock in the crispy tacos. It is plentiful and good value and your fishmonger will pin bone and skin it for you. For your salsa, you will find lots of Irish tomatoes these days with the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark. If you would like to try a little twist on the batter I made it recently with some curry powder and sesame seeds added it and the family loved it.
Homemade fish and chips are always a bit of a treat. This pea purée is simple to make and if you add a few mint leaves it is delicious. It is worth making your own tartare sauce. It is very easy. But you might like to try one made by Spice O’Life in Dunmanway, Co Cork, which you will find in the Simply Better range.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Crispy fish tacos with tomato salsa
Serves four
2 x 350g hake fillets, skinned and boned
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
8 soft flour tortillas
2 Little Gem lettuces, finely shredded
300ml sour cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lime wedges, to garnish
For the batter:
50g plain flour
25g cornflour
175ml sparking water, well chilled
For the tomato salsa:
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
pinch of caster sugar
1 To make the tomato salsa, place the tomatoes in a bowl with the red onion, lime juice, coriander and sugar. Season to taste, then stir well to combine and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop.2 To make the batter, place the flour, cornflour, sparkling water and a pinch of salt into a food processor and blend until smooth. Cut the hake fillets into 1cm (½in) strips and season generously.3 Pour the vegetable oil into a pan until it’s about one-third full and heat to 190°C (375°F), or until a small piece of white bread dropped into the oil browns and rises to the surface in 1 minute.4 Warm the tortillas in a low oven or in the microwave as per the packet instructions.5 Dip the strips of the fish into the batter, shaking off any excess, and then drop them into the hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on kitchen paper.6 To serve, put some lettuce down the centre of each warmed flour tortilla and spoon over the tomato salsa, then top with the crispy hake goujons and the sour cream. Add a squeeze of lime and then fold in the sides of the tortilla. Roll it up as tightly as you can to eat.Fish and chips with chunky pea purée and tartare sauce
Serves four
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
8 Rooster potatoes, peeled
100g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
200g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp sesame seeds
4 x 175g firm white fillets, boned and skinned (such as haddock, hake or pollock)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chunky pea purée:
400g (14oz) frozen peas
2 tbsp crème fraîche
squeeze of lemon juice, plus wedges to garnish
For the tartare sauce:
150g (5oz) mayonnaise
50g (2oz) gherkins, rinsed and finely chopped
50g (2oz) capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp chopped fresh chives
squeeze of lemon juice
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2).2 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep-sided pan, making sure it’s only half full, until it reaches 160°C (325°F). 3 Cut the potatoes into skinny chips and then place in a bowl of cold water (this helps to remove the starch). Drain and then dry them as much as possible in a clean tea towel before placing them in a wire basket (you may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your basket) and lowering them into the heated oil. 4 Cook for 3-4 minutes, until cooked through but not coloured. Drain well on kitchen paper and set aside.5 Increase the temperature of the oil to 190°C (375°F) and prepare the fish. Place the flour on a flat plate and season to taste. Put the beaten eggs and some seasoning in a shallow dish and mix the breadcrumbs with the parsley and sesame seeds in another separate dish.6 Coat the fish in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg and finally coat in the breadcrumbs. Quickly place in the heated oil and cook for 5–6 minutes, until crisp and golden brown – the exact time will depend on the thickness of the fillets (again, you may have to do this in 2 batches). Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven – this should only be for 1-2 minutes, so the batter doesn’t lose any of its crispness.7 To make the chunky pea purée, cook the peas in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Add the crème fraîche and lemon juice, then season to taste. Using a hand blender, blitz to a chunky purée. Keep warm.8 To make the tartare sauce, mix the mayonnaise in a bowl with the gherkins, capers, herbs, lemon juice and seasoning.9 To serve, tip the blanched chips back into the wire basket and then carefully lower into the heated oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and season with salt, then arrange on warmed serving plates with the crispy fish, chunky pea purée, tartare sauce and lemon wedges.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: