Monday 7 April 2008

Thou shall hev a fishy on a little dishy...

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...thou shall hev a haddock when the boat comes in. That's how the song goes and haddock we had, but ours wasn't straight of the boat unfortunately.

I wanted to make Cheesy Crust Roasted Haddock last week, but by the time I would have got to the market I was sure that the fish monger would have had packed up, so I tried Tesco, but their fish counter was pretty bare, too. What to do? I thought I'd try frozen fish, it couldn't be too bad, could it? After all I have cooked with frozen salmon and frozen prawns before and the results had been quite good.

Well, I found a packet of frozen haddock fillets and proceeded to make the topping for the fish. When it came to putting it in the oven the packet read 40 minutes and I thought that had to be too long, after all the recipe for the fresh haddock, calls for just 10-12 minutes. So I put mine in the oven without the topping for about 20 minutes, then took it out and added the breadcrumb mix and returned it to the oven for another 10 minutes, giving it a total of 30 minutes. The flavours were good, so I'll be making it again, but the fish was really dry, therefore I'd urge you to try this recipe using fresh haddock and not frozen. Maybe it didn't help that I used Panko instead of fresh bread crumbs either.

It's simple and quick, and the topping has a fresh flavour and a nice crunch.

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Cheesy Crust Roasted Haddock

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 haddock fillet
50 g fresh white breadcrumbs
50 g mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (I use basil)
50 g semi sun-dried tomato packed in oil, drained or you can use a tomato pesto or even fresh cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.

Coat a baking tray with 1/2 tsp olive oil and place the fish on top.

Mix the breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper and press, using the back of a spoon, onto the top of the fish fillets.

Place the tomatoes around the fish on the baking tray and drizzle everything with the rest of the oil. (I chopped up fresh cherry tomatoes and added them to the crumb mix)

Roast for approx 10-12 minutes until the crust becomes golden and the fish is cooked.

Times may vary depending on the thickness of your fish. If it needs longer you may need to cover the top with tin foil to stop it from burning, after the first 10 minutes.


12 comments:

Peter M said...

Sylvie, the fish is wonderfully baked and the topping has a crisp crust.

Nic said...

I really like the idea of using sun-dried tomatoes with the fish, it looks very inviting.

Jules said...

This post title made me sing along! I relly like the look of this fish dish.

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of using sundried tomatoes and cheese on fish. I am always looking for ideas to add some flavor!

test it comm said...

That cheese crusted haddock looks tasty!

Marie Rayner said...

Wow Sylvie! Your recipe is really similar to mine, except I chop my tomatoes up and mix them in with the crumbs. Yours looks delicious too. Tomatoes and Haddock go so very well together, just like peas and carrots! Well done!

Jan said...

Sylvie - That looks delish!

Rosie said...

Hi Sylvie, one beautiful fish dish and great presentation. I love the crispy crust!

Rosie x

Abitofafoodie said...

This looks very good indeed - I have some haddock siting in the fridge and this would be a good dish to try with it.

Sylvie said...

Peter, Kevin, Jan and Rosie, thanks.

Jules, I had that song stuck in my head for hours after writing the post.

Nic and Beth, I used fresh tomatoes as I didn't have any sun-dried ones in, but am looking forward to trying them.

Marie, I used fresh and enjoyed it a lot.

Antonia, if you try it let me know.

Peabody said...

I think if I put cheese on it, my hubby will indeed eat fish. :)

Sylvie said...

Peabody, I know many people who think cheese makes everything better. ;)