Smoked Haddock

Smoked haddock is a dish we have every now and again, as it's on the pricey side. Any time I pass through Marks & Spencer, I briefly mooch at the fish shelves to see if they have any offers or reduced priced fish looking for a home. Smoked haddock is available in dyed or un-dyed varieties. Many foodies always seem to encourage you buy un-dyed but I've never had any problem with the dyed and it's usually a little cheaper. The faint smokiness goes very well with creamier sauces and we always have it with pea & mushroom risotto.

The following recipe makes two generous portions, with two fillets per person.

Ingredients

• 4 x smoked haddock fillets (Each fillet weighing approximately 125g) 

• 4 sprays of Fry Light One Cal spray oil

• 10g/2 teaspoons of low fat buttery spread

• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Turn the oven to 190°C.
2. Rinse the fillets well under the cold tap and pat them dry using kitchen paper.
3. Check the fish for small bones or stray scales and remove if found.
4. Tear off a rectangular shaped piece of tin foil approximately three times the size of the fillet and spread it out on a flat surface. Give it one spray of the Fry light oil. Place the haddock fillet, skin side down on the tin foil. Dot with half a teaspoon of butter spread and a good twist of salt and pepper. Next fold the tin foil up, to form a foil tent around the fish and fold the foil over to seal. The foil tent allows steam to circulate and cooks the fish more evenly. Place the tin foil tent onto a baking sheet and prepare the other three fillets
5. When the oven has come up to temperature, place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. (Slightly longer if the fillets are more than an inch thick). As usual, reduce the cooking time accordingly if using a spanky fan assisted oven.
6. After 10 minutes, rotate the tray in the oven, to ensure the fish is cooked evenly.
7. When ready, remove from the oven and carefully open the tin foil parcels, away from you, as steam can build up.
8. Transfer to warmed plates and serve with Pea & Mushroom Risotto or Basic Risotto.