Change it up
Use cured fish to give favourite dishes new depth, says Nicola Galloway.
Iam a big fan of smoked fish, and it stepped up for some tasty dinners recently when fresh stuff was difficult to source. Smoked fish is cured, so it keeps longer than the fresh sort.
For a change from smoked salmon, search out oily whitefleshed fish such as mackerel, kingfish and trevally.
Smoked fish cakes
Whenmakingmash for dinner add a few extra potatoes to the pot so you have leftovers to make these simple fish cakes for lunch or dinner the next day.
Preparation time: 15minutes Cooking time: 20minutes Serves 4
300g smoked white-fleshed fish –
see suggestions above
1 egg
2 spring onions, thinly sliced About 2 cups leftover mashed
potato (400g potatoes)
1 rounded tsp wholegrain mustard
Handful of fresh parsley
Salt and cracked pepper to season 1 cup dried breadcrumbs Olive oil for frying
Flake the fish into amixing bowl, add the egg and use a fork to combine. Add the spring onion, mashed potato, mustard, and parsley, and season generously. Mix well to combine.
Scatter the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Shape the potato mixture into 5cmwide by 2cm high cakes then press into the crumbs to evenly coat.
Preheat the oven to 150C and place a baking tray in the oven.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over amoderate heat. Add a generous drizzle of oil swirling to coat the base. Cook the fish cakes in batches until golden, about 4-5 minutes each side, adding oil to the pan as needed. Keep the cooked fish cakes warm in the oven.
Serve with coleslaw and tomato sauce.
Leftover fish cakes can be kept in the fridge for 2 days – they are delicious reheated and topped with a poached egg.
Broccoli, smoked fish and dill quiche
Use 400g savoury short pastry to save timemaking the base. For a variation replace the smoked fish with 4 rashers (100g) bacon, chopped and lightly fried, and use parsley instead of dill.
Preparation time: 30minutes + pastry resting time Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves 4
Pastry
1 cup (150g) standardwhite flour 1⁄ cup (80g) wholemeal flour
2 1⁄ tsp salt
2
150g chilled butter, cut in 1cm cubes 4-5 tbsp cold water
Filling
8 eggs
1⁄ cup (150g) sour cream or cream 2 1 tsp salt
2 heaped cups broccoli florets
(about 250g), lightly steamed 250g smoked fish
2 spring onions, finely chopped 1 tsp fresh dill or parsley, finely
chopped
Cracked black pepper
First, make the pastry (or use 400g store-bought savoury short pastry).
Place the flours and salt into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the chilled butter and pulse 6-8 times until the butter pieces are pea-sized. Add thewater 1 tablespoon at a time while pulsing the processor until the dough holds together when pressed. Tip onto the bench and quickly bring together into a flat round. Place in a lidded container and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190C and place a heavy baking tray in the middle of the oven. Grease a large quiche dish (my one is 28cm wide by 4cm high).
On a lightly floured bench, roll the pastry into a 30cm round, about 4mm thick. Lift carefully onto the quiche dish, pressing gently so it fits in evenly. Rest the pastry base in the fridge for 15 minutes to prevent shrinking during cooking.
Whisk together the eggs, sour cream and salt. Scatter the chilled base with broccoli, smoked fish, spring onions and dill. Pour over the egg mixture and finishwith a generous grind of black pepper.
Place the quiche on the preheated tray and bake for 40-45 minutes until the egg is set.
Serve hot or coldwith aioli and salad.