Delicate rockling – or any fish of your choice – in a traditional herbed sauce, loaded with nutritious veggies and topped with perfectly crunchy potato mash. You’ve just made an exquisite meal for one – with a little leftover for a second helping!
Serves: 1–2
Ingredients
- 250ml water
- 250gm firm white fish fillets (e.g. rockling), cut into 3–4cm chunks
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 celery stalk, diced
- 1/2 carrot, diced
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1/4 small fennel bulb, sliced
- 20g salted butter
- 20g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 75ml milk
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt flakes and cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon each chopped dill and parsley
Mash topping
- 200g all-purpose potatoes, cut into rough chunks
- 15g salted butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 free-range egg
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
To make the mash, place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cook for 20 minutes over high heat until the potatoes are soft. Drain and return to pot. Mash until smooth, then whisk in butter, milk and egg. Set aside.
Next, in a medium saucepan, bring water to boil. Add fish, remove from heat and allow to poach for five minutes. Remove fish using slotted spoon and set aside. Strain fish liquid and measure out 125ml.
Take the saucepan and heat oil over a medium heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and fennel and sauté for five minutes until softened. Increase heat and melt the butter, then stir in the flour. Cook for two or three minutes, stirring to form a paste.
Reduce heat and gradually add the fish stock and milk, stirring until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and zest, and season to taste. Stir in chopped herbs.
Pour sauce into a small pie dish, arrange the fish pieces over the top and mix them into the sauce gently. Spread the mash carefully over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the potato is nicely browned on top.
Do you have a favourite fish recipe to share? Do you eat fish regularly?
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