Seafood Made Simple: Haddock is wonderful in puff pastry — try this recipe

Good things come in small parcels

Smoked haddock and leek pastries by Aishling Moore. Picture: Chani Anderson

Haddock, a round fish and a close cousin of cod is a member of the gadidae family which also includes coley, whiting and pollock.

Haddock are bottom feeders, so they snack on molluscs, sea urchins and crustaceans which gives haddock its distinctive sweet flavour. Most commonly enjoyed as the battered fish in a fish in chip supper or – my favourite way to enjoy haddock – smoked.

The cost of food seems to be rising with every trip to the shop. Smoked haddock is an excellent seafood option when you’re trying to keep costs down and feed a whole family. I’ll always only buy natural smoked haddock, free from any of that bright orange dye and fake flavourings.

One side of smoked haddock gives you so much bang for your buck with its flaky flesh and earthy flavour. Such a versatile product, it typically has a longer shelf life than fresh untreated fish and freezes really well so it’s perfect to have a side or two stashed in the freezer for when you’re looking for a seafood supper in a flash.

Fantastic in a fish pie or a fish cake and beautiful in a risotto, it’s also wonderful encased in some puff pastry like this weekend’s recipe: a smoked haddock and leek puff pastry square seasoned with lots of mustard. Sweet, buttery leeks are the perfect allium to include in this number, pairing so well with the smoky fish and punchy mustard.

These little parcels are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Perfect for entertaining, they would be an awesome little lunchbox addition.

Serve these with a little extra mustard or relish, a couple of your favourite pickles or a simple salad on the side.

Once assembled, they can be stored in the fridge or freezer and baked in a preheated oven in a matter of moments.

Smoked haddock and leek pastries

recipe by:Aishling Moore

Smoked haddock is an excellent seafood option when you’re trying to keep costs down and feed a whole family.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 x 320g sheets puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp sea salt flakes

• For the filling

• 100g butter

• 1 small leek, finely sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 600ml milk

• 150g natural smoked haddock, diced into chunks

• 50g flour

• 1 tbsp whole grain mustard

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1. In a small heavy-based pot, cook the leek and garlic in 50g of the butter. Season and cook on medium-low heat until softened (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. In another heavy-based medium-sized pot, place the milk and smoked haddock.

3. Warm on medium-low heat to gently poach the fish – approximately 2-3 minutes once the milk warms.

4. Remove the fish from the milk with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Reserve the milk and keep warm.

5. In a separate medium-sized pot, melt the remaining butter on a medium-low heat.

6. Add the flour and mix to combine using a wooden spoon.

7. Cook until sandy in colour. Once the mixture is coming away from the sides of the pot slowly begin to add the warmed milk.

8. Add 100ml at a time, mixing all the time with each addition to prevent lumps from forming.

9. Once all the milk is added, cook for a further 2 minutes.

10. Add the Dijon and wholegrain mustard and remove from the heat.

11. Fold through the smoked haddock and leeks.

12. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt. Allow to cool completely.

13. Preheat oven to 200°C/gas 6. To form the pastries, cut each sheet of puff pastry into 12 even squares (8.5 x 8mm) this will give you 24 squares in total.

14. Brush 12 of the squares with beaten egg and place a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in the centre of each.

15. Place a square of puff pastry over each and press down to seal the four sides of the squares with a fork.

16. Using a very sharp knife, lightly score the pastry.

17. Once sealed, brush each pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt and mustard seeds.

18. Bake on a lined baking tray for 15 minutes.

19. Cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before eating.

Fish tales

It’s essential to add the milk whilst warm to the butter and flour mixture to prevent lumps from forming.

Be sure to check for bones when dicing the smoked haddock. These will run down along the centre of the fillet.

The smoked haddock and leek filling must be completely cooled before placing in the pastry. I recommend making the filling a day ahead and storing in the fridge before assembling within the pastry.

Scoring the pastry is essential to prevent the filling from bursting out of the sides when
baking.

These pastries freeze well, so stick a few in the freezer before baking and cook from frozen for best results.

I love the addition of mustard with smoked haddock but feel free to omit it and add lots of fresh herbs and lemon zest if you’d prefer.