White Fish With Spinach And Egg Food

FANTASTIC FISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas 8.
• Peel and dice the potatoes into 2.5cm chunks, then put into boiling salted water and bring back to the boil for 2 minutes.
• Carefully add the eggs to the pan and cook for a further 8 minutes, or until hard-boiled, by which time the potatoes should also be cooked.
• At the same time, steam the spinach in a colander above the pan. This will only take a minute. When the spinach is done, remove from the colander and gently squeeze out any excess moisture.
• Drain the potatoes in the colander. Remove the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and quarter them. Place to one side.
• Peel and finely chop the onion, then peel, halve and finely chop the carrot.
• In a separate pan, slowly fry the onion and carrot in a little oil for about 5 minutes, then add the double cream and bring just to the boil.
• Remove from the heat and finely grate in 2 good handfuls of cheese, then squeeze in the lemon juice and stir through the mustard.
• Pick and finely chop the parsley and stir into the cream mixture.
• Slice the fish into strips then place in an earthenware dish with the spinach and eggs and mix together, pouring over the creamy vegetable sauce.
• The cooked potatoes should be drained and mashed - add a bit of oil, sea salt, black pepper and a touch of nutmeg (if using). Spread on top of the fish. Don't bother piping it to make it look pretty - it's a homely hearty thing.
• Place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden.
• Serve with some nice peas or greens, not forgetting your baked beans and tomato ketchup. Tacky but tasty, and that's what I like.

AUNT CAROL'S SPINACH AND FISH BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a bowl, mix the spinach, 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, about 5 tablespoons dry bread crumbs, and the egg. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a small baking dish. Arrange the cod fillets on top of the spinach mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining Cheddar cheese and bread crumbs.
• Cover, and bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

WHITE FISH WITH SPINACH AND EGG

Steps:

• Drizzle the fish fillets with a little lemon juice. Bring the fish stock and the white wine to the boil in a pan, and add salt. Season the fish with salt and ground black pepper. Take the white wine stock off the hob and place the fillets in it so that they are covered in liquid. Leave to poach for 6-8 minutes.
• Bring 1 l of water to the boil with the vinegar and 1 tbsp salt in a small pan. Break the eggs into a cup one by one and slide them one after another into the simmering vinegar and water. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
• Heat the butter in a pan and sweat the shallots and garlic together until translucent. Add the spinach to the shallots, toss together briefly and remove from the heat. Season with salt and a little lemon juice.
• Arrange the spinach on warmed plates, break up the fish by hand and lay on top of the spinach. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of the fish. Sprinkle well with salt, ground black pepper and chilli flakes, if desired. Serve immediately.

SPRING FISH PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C /gas 7. Tip the spinach into a colander sitting in the sink and tip the potatoes into a saucepan. Bring a kettle full of water to the boil and pour enough over the potatoes to cover and slowly pour the rest over the spinach to wilt it. Bring the potatoes to the boil and cook for 8-10 mins until tender, then drain and roughly mash.
• Leave the spinach to cool, then squeeze out excess water with your hands. Scatter the spinach over the bottom of 2 individual or 1 small ovenproof dish leaving two gaps for the eggs. Crack the eggs into the gaps, then season with salt and pepper. Distribute the fish over the spinach and eggs. Spread over the crème fraîche and drizzle with the lemon juice. Loosely spoon over the potatoes, drizzle over the olive oil, then bake for 20-25 mins until the top is crispy and golden and the sauce is bubbling at the sides. Leave to stand for a few mins, then serve straight from the dish.

SMOKED HADDOCK WITH BUTTERED SPINACH & MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the sauce, gently heat and stir together the mustard and crème fraîche in a small saucepan, then turn off the heat and set aside.
• Put the spinach in a colander and put in the sink. Pour over kettle-hot water to wilt, cool under cold water, squeeze out as much water as possible, then set aside.
• Put the potatoes in the bottom part of a tiered steamer, just cover with water and bring to the simmer. Lay the fish fillets in the first tier of the steamer and, after the potatoes have cooked for 5 mins, sit on top, cover and steam for a further 5 mins or until the fish is cooked through. While the fish and potatoes are cooking, bring another small pan of water to the boil, add the vinegar and poach the eggs to your liking - we did ours for 2 mins.
• Gently reheat the sauce and add the lemon juice and a small splash of water if it's a little too thick. Season and stir in the chives. Lift the fish tier off the potatoes, drain the potatoes, then tip them back into the pan. Add the spinach and a drizzle of the sauce, and mix to combine. Divide the potatoes and spinach between 2 plates, sit a fillet of haddock on each and top with a poached egg. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the eggs and around the fish, and serve straight away.