Smoked haddock rarebit with chicory and radish salad
Welsh rarebit is essentially a very fancy version of cheese on toast. It’s the best kind, the kind made with careful precision, and everyone who is anyone has their own favourite way of making and eating it. In my recipe I like to flavour the cheese topping with mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and to mix in some poached smoked haddock for a little something extra.
Ingredients
For the rarebit
- 2 x 150g/5½oz fillets of undyed smoked haddock, skin on, bones removed
- 400ml/14fl oz whole milk
- 25g/1oz butter
- 25g/1oz plain flour
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 75g/2½oz mature cheddar, grated
- 1 free-range egg yolk
- 4 large thick slices bread, e.g. sourdough or bloomer
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 4–5 tbsp hazelnut oil
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 1 large handful radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 heads chicory, leaves separated, larger leaves torn
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the grill to a medium high heat. If you don’t have access to a grill, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Place a frying pan just big enough to fit the haddock on a medium heat. Put the haddock into the pan, skin side up, and pour over the milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and let the fish poach for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan, reserving the milk and set aside.
Once cool enough to handle, peel away the skin from the fish and discard, then flake the fish into a bowl, in large chunks. Cover with cling film to keep warm.
To prepare the salad, mix together the oil, mustard and lemon juice until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a small, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and stir together, cooking for 4–5 minutes or until the mixture resembles ground almonds. Whisk in the reserved poaching milk, bit by bit, until completely combined, then cook gently for 3–4 minutes, until fairly thick.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and three-quarters of the cheddar and stir until the cheese has melted. Season as necessary. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolk.
Toast the bread until golden on both sides, then place the toast on a baking tray. Gently stir the flaked haddock into the rarebit sauce and divide between the pieces of toast. Top with the remaining cheese.
Place under the preheated grill for 2–3 minutes, or until dark golden in colour. Alternatively, cook the rarebit in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes until golden.
Mix the radishes and chicory in a bowl with the dressing and serve with the hot rarebit.