You could say this is like a deconstructed fish pie, with all the elements served side by side rather than being piled up. It’s quite a simple dish to prepare. We prefer to use undyed smoked haddock with its subtle natural colour and flavour from the smoking.
Ingredients
- 800 g floury potatoes, such as maris piper
- 150 g butter, melted
- 4 undyed smoked haddock, fillets, weighing about 200 g each
- butter for cooking the fish
- salt and black pepper
Spinach
- 500 g spinach
- olive oil
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 20 g butter
To Serve
- lemon wedges
- hollandaise sauce
How to Make It
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-cm thick slices. Rinse in cold water. Place in a pan, cover with water and add some salt. Bring to the boil, then cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.
- Preheat the grill.
- Drain the potatoes well, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Return the potatoes to the pan and mash with a hand masher. Whisk in the melted butter and a little of the cooking water to make the mash consistency you like. Cover and keep warm.
- Butter a baking sheet and place the haddock fillets on it. Dot with a little more butter and season with black pepper. Cook under the grill for 5–6 minutes until done. To test, press gently with a fork – the flesh should slightly separate into flakes.
- While the fish is cooking, heat up a pan large enough to hold the spinach. When it is very hot add a splash of olive oil and throw in the spinach. Turn it over with tongs for 1–2 minutes until wilted.
- Tip into a colander and press out any excess liquid. Return to the pan and season with a few gratings of nutmeg, pepper to taste and the butter.
- Serve the haddock with the mash, spinach and lemon wedges, with hollandaise sauce on the side.