Where Are My Knees?: Loch Fyne Salmon

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Loch Fyne started with one idea – to grow oysters in the clear, fertile waters of Loch Fyne and it is a business whose success is built on an honest approach to superb quality food.
All Loch Fyne businesses work together to ensure that only the very best produce – farmed and fished to the highest quality and environmental standards – reaches the kitchens and plates of their customers.
They sent me some gorgeous fresh salmon to try and create a tasty but healthy meal with.It's great to know that the main suppliers were the first two salmon farms to gain RSPCA Freedom Foods accreditation. Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall and his Fish Fight campaign certainly made me rethink were I buy my fish from what types I buy. Anyway...

I tried to use the salmon in lots of different ways but this is the first of a few recipes I have to share with you.

Fish Pie

I found this recipe on the Good Food site and it was so tasty! The great thing about the Good Food website is that they tell you the nutritional value of the food so you can easily work out the points if you are on the Weight Watchers plan like me.

Ingredients

500ml semi-skimmed milk
3 tbsp cornflour
100g cooked prawns in their shells
several thyme sprigs, preferably lemon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
750g new potatoes, such as Charlotte (no need to peel)
1 medium leek, thinly sliced (175g prepared weight)
400g skinned haddock fillet
350g skinned salmon fillet
175g skinned smoked haddock fillet
125g tub low-fat soft cheese with garlic & herbs
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp snipped chives

Method

Mix 3 tbsp of the milk into the cornflour and set aside. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan. Shell the prawns, reserve the meat, then drop the shells and heads (wash them first if necessary) into the milk along with the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, garlic and a grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes into a large pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins until tender. Drain. Steam the sliced leek for 3 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Strain the infused milk through a sieve into a large shallow sauté pan. Lay all the fish fillets (not the prawns) in the milk. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and leave, covered, for 5 mins. Use a slotted spoon to transfer all the fish to a dish and leave to cool slightly. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Stir the slackened cornflour, then stir it into the hot milk in the sauté pan. Return the pan to the heat and stir until thickened. Briefly stir in the soft cheese, remove from the heat, then add the parsley and season with black pepper. Stir in any liquid that has drained from the fish. Break the fish into big pieces as you lay them in a 2-litre ovenproof dish so that the different varieties are evenly distributed. Scatter over the prawns and leek, then season with pepper. Pour the sauce over and give a few gentle stirs to evenly distribute the sauce and combine everything without breaking up the fish.
Using a large fork, crush the potatoes by breaking them up (not mashing them) into chunky pieces. Mix in the oil, chives and a grind of black pepper. Spoon the potato crush over the fish. Sit the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins, or until the sauce is bubbling and the potatoes golden. Alternatively, make the dish completely, refrigerate it for several hrs or overnight, then bake at the same temperature as above for 45 mins.