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Poached Haddock with Cheese Sauce

Delicate poached haddock served with a sweet potato and courgette rosti, chilli spinach and mushrooms and topped with a poached egg and cheese sauce.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Poached haddock

  • 4 120 g Skinless haddock fillets
  • 200 ml milk
  • 100 ml fish stock or half a stock cube
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 sprig thyme

Sweet potato and courgette rosti

  • 1 medium Sweet Potato peeled and grated
  • 2 medium egg lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp. Plain Flour
  • 1 medium courgette
  • olive oil

Cheese sauce

  • 50 g Plain Flour
  • 100 g mature cheddar cheese

Sauté chilli spinach and mushroom

  • 100 g Baby spinach
  • 100 g Chestnut Mushrooms
  • 1/2 medium red onion cut into small dice
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 2 tsp. Chilli flakes

Poached eggs

  • 4 medium eggs
  • water
  • 2 tbsp. White wine vinegar

Instructions

For the rosti

  • Place the courgette and sweet potato in a muslin cloth and squeeze out all of the excess water. Place in a large enough bowl and add the egg, flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper. At this point bring a pan of water to a good simmer for the eggs later on.
  • Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Place an eighth of the mixture into the pan in a small bundle and as it starts to fry press down gently until about a cm thick. Repeat three more times and cook for about four minutes either side or until golden brown. Repeat for the other four and keep warm. Keep the pan to the side.

Poaching the haddock

  • In a deep-frying pan place the haddock fillets and cover with the milk, stock and add the bay leaf and thyme. Add a pinch of salt and pepper then bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for about four to five minutes. Remove the fish and keep warm and keep the poaching liquid.

Making the sauce

  • In a medium sauce pan melt the butter and add the flour and cook for thirty seconds. Add the poaching liquid and stir until smooth and cook for a further minute while stirring. Add the cheese, stir until melted, check the seasoning and remove from the heat and keep warm.

Sauté chilli spinach and mushrooms

  • In the same frying pan the rosti’s were cooked in melt the butter over a medium heat and then sauté the mushrooms and onions until just cooked and add the spinach, garlic and chilli flakes. Allow the spinach to wilt, season and keep warm.

Poaching the eggs

  • In the simmering water add the vinegar and crack the eggs in one at a time and cook for three minutes, remove and place on a plate with kitchen roll to absorb a little of the water. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

To plate

  • On warmed plates place a rosti in the middle, top with the sauté spinach, the poached haddock, poached egg and spoon over some of the cheese sauce.

Notes

This recipe was brought together with inspiration from The Great British Chefs, BBC food and Delicious websites.
This recipe can seem very daunting to make with many components however with a little patience and determination I assure you will not be disappointed.
For a simpler version and an introduction into poaching, the fish and cheese sauce could be served alongside some nice mashed potato and buttered peas.