Quick and Easy Milk Poached Smoked Haddock
Milk-poached smoked haddock is the easiest way to treat this wonderful piece of fish, resulting in big, tender flakes and delicate flavours.
Not only is this recipe easy, but it is quick too; it will come together in around 25 minutes, and the cooking is almost all "hands off".
Simple Poached Haddock
Fish has an undeserved reputation as being difficult to cook, one that I do my best to dispel.
It's one of the ingredients that I enjoy cooking the most, and I step well beyond cod and salmon! I've got dishes like skate wings in a prosecco sauce, grey mullet with a preserved lemon sauce and harissa-baked rainbow trout.
But this dish takes all of the guesswork out of cooking fish!
Milk-poached smoked haddock is a classic treatment for this beautiful ingredient, and it is so incredibly simple!
Drop some fish in a pan, pour over some milk, add some flavourings, and your prep work is done.
Then bring the milk to a boil over a medium(ish) heat, add a lid, take the pan off the heat and wait!
Seriously, that's all you have to do! The fish will be perfect after 12-15 minutes, but if you need to leave it for 20, it'll be perfectly fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store the leftover milk?
Yes, cool it completely, and strain out the flavourings. It will be fine in the fridge for a couple of days.
It's superb used in a bechamel sauce if you are serving it with fish. A splash warmed up with some cream is also fantastic stirred through mashed potato.
Can I use dyed haddock?
Yes, if you wish, but I tend to find that "yellow" smoked haddock is typically lesser quality.
Can I eat the skin?
I find the skin on smoked haddock to be very unpleasant to eat.
The fats just below the skin add a huge amount of flavour, which is why I poach the fish with the skin on. It also helps hold the fish together.
Can I make this in advance?
For me, no. Like so many fish dishes, they are much better when eaten straight after cooking.
Serving Suggestions
I have gone a little "off piste" with my serving suggestion for milk-poached smoked haddock in most of the pictures on this page by serving it with a superb warm pea and feta salad.
Now there are a load of people that think that cheese and fish should never mix, and 9 times out of 10, I agree.
But in this instance, the sour, salty flaovur of the feta provides both contrasting and matching flavours to the salty smoked haddock. The peas, broad beans and asparagus provide a beautiful sweetness and texture that also works perfectly.
However, in the picture above I have paired it with a sauce gribiche. A criminally underused mayonnaise-esque sauce made with boiled eggs.
If you want to go uber classic, then you could use the poaching liquid to make a parsley sauce, and serve it all with mashed potatoes.
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 28cm or 11" frying pan with a lid.
- Spatula.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
Smoked Haddock Poached in Milk Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g Smoked Haddock 12oz
- 500 ml Milk 2 Cups
- 35 g Butter 2 Tbsp
- Water (as required)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Medium Echalion or Banana Shallot 50g
- 12 Black Peppercorns
Instructions
- Place the fish skin side down in a 28cm or 11" frying pan.
- Roughly chop the shallot and toss it into the pan.
- Add the butter, bay leaves and peppercorns, then pour over the milk and top up the liquid with just enough water to cover the fillets of fish.
- Set the heat to medium and bring the liquid to a gentle boil. Then add a lid, remove it from the heat and allow the fish to sit for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the fish from the heat and carefully peel off the skin, flip it over, brush the flesh with a little of the poaching liquid and serve.
