An expedition out of Hampton, New Hampshire, with Al Gauron Fishing Charters last year yielded a bunch of tasty cold water fish. The main target was haddock, although we also caught some cusk, a fish few people outside of region are familiar with. They’re good. We also caught a few cod, but because they were not in season, they were quickly released.
Haddock is a staple fish in the Northeast. It was certainly my grandmother’s favorite – broiled haddock was often ordered anytime a restaurant had it on the menu. The thing about haddock is that it’s mild and flaky white, meaning it pairs well with many cooking techniques and accepts a host of sauces and seasonings.
Summertime and early autumn blue crab feasts are popular in Virginia and Maryland. Crabs are abundant right off the dock of our river cottage near the mouth of the mighty Potomac River. We typically have more crabs than we care to eat in one sitting, so we save the leftovers and pick them the next day, saving the meat for such things as crab omelets or crab cakes, and also boiling the shells, legs and other discards to make a broth that is frozen and later used in things like gumbos.
Poached Haddock Recipe
We thought a decadent crab sauce might go well with pan-sauteed haddock fillets. And it would. But, better yet perhaps, why not gently roll the delicate haddock fillets and poach them directly in a crab sauce? Next was a bit of freewheeling clean-out-the crisper exercise, seeing what vegetables might go into this concoction. Here is how it went down. The results of this poached haddock were delicious, even if the final plating was less than spectacular – I was in a hurry to watch a football game. That's my excuse anyway.
A last point for this poached haddock recipe: depending on how the crabs were cooked, the intensity and level of salt and pepper will vary, so taste, taste, taste. Seasonings in the sauce are “to taste.” A second consideration is this preparation will work with any mild, flaky white fish – halibut comes to mind, if the fillets are sliced thin enough to roll. Cook the whole thing in a nonstick sauce pot you can cover with a lid.
Ingredients
4 halibut fillets (small and thin)
I tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 ounces dry white wine
1 tablespoon flour
¾ cup crab broth and the crab meat that was frozen in it
4 grape tomatoes, chopped
1 or 2 large leaves of butter lettuce or spinach, chopped
Lemon juice
Lemon pepper seasoning
Creole seasoning
Cooked white rice
Steamed broccoli or other vegetables
Preparation
Make your poaching sauce: Finely chop the onion and celery and sauté in a little butter until soft. Add a splash of white wine and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add flour, stirring gently, and cook a few minutes, then add crab broth and diced tomatoes and greens (we had lettuce, but spinach would be good too). Add a little lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning and creole seasoning. Let this cook for a couple of minutes while you season the fillets with salt and pepper and roll them in thirds, skin side in.
Next, gently nestle the fish into the poaching sauce, with the folded sides down. Cover and gently simmer for a few minutes until fish starts to become opaque. Cooking time varies depending on the size of the fillets. Carefully turn the fish (they easily flake and break if handled roughly), re-cover and turn off the heat, letting the sauce complete carryover cooking. After a couple minutes, remove the fish, keep warm on a plate, turn the heat to medium, add the already cooked crab meat to heat it up (and maybe another pat of butter), and adjust the seasoning as desired.
Serve with rice and vegetables (we had broccoli in the fridge, but green beans or something else would work well too). Spoon the crab sauce over everything and enjoy. A nice glass of buttery chardonnay seems to pair well, although a nice crisp pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc can also hit the spot. Enjoy!
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