Finnan Haddie (Poached Smoked Haddock in Milk)
A fillet of haddock gilded by smoke, gently poached in buttered milk until it flakes. Rich, smoky, deeply comforting, served with bread to mop up the sauce and plenty of pepper.
A fillet of haddock gilded by smoke, gently poached in buttered milk until it flakes. Rich, smoky, deeply comforting, served with bread to mop up the sauce and plenty of pepper.
You see, I found in Boston, on the best tables, that same smoked fish that was once dried on the coasts of Aberdeen — what joy for the heart of an expatriate Scot! My mother, despite her deafness, could tell by smell alone a properly smoked finnan from an over-salted fish. Poach it very gently in milk, my friend, never boil — the flesh must flake of its own accord, tender as a well-kept secret. A turn of the pepper mill, some bread to mop the juices, and there you have a supper worthy of a long night in the laboratory.
- •Whole smoked haddock (finnan haddock) — 1 fish (star ingredient)
- •Fresh milk — enough to cover (poaching liquid)
- •Butter — a good knob (richness)
- •Freshly ground black pepper — generously (seasoning)
Finnan Haddie (Poached Smoked Haddock in Milk)
A fillet of haddock gilded by smoke, gently poached in buttered milk until it flakes. Rich, smoky, deeply comforting, served with bread to mop up the sauce and plenty of pepper.
Why this dish? The smoked haddock from the fishing villages of Aberdeen followed Bell from Scotland to Boston, where 'Finnan haddie' became a favorite dish of New England high society — a culinary bridge between his two homelands.
You see, I found in Boston, on the best tables, that same smoked fish that was once dried on the coasts of Aberdeen — what joy for the heart of an expatriate Scot! My mother, despite her deafness, could tell by smell alone a properly smoked finnan from an over-salted fish. Poach it very gently in milk, my friend, never boil — the flesh must flake of its own accord, tender as a well-kept secret. A turn of the pepper mill, some bread to mop the juices, and there you have a supper worthy of a long night in the laboratory.
Ingredients (period version)
- Whole smoked haddock (finnan haddock) — 1 fish (star ingredient)
- Fresh milk — enough to cover (poaching liquid)
- Butter — a good knob (richness)
- Freshly ground black pepper — generously (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Smoked haddock fillets (undyed) — 600 g (star ingredient)
- Whole milk — 500 ml (poaching liquid)
- Butter — 40 g (richness)
- Black pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped — 1 tbsp (freshness)
- Country bread — 4 slices (accompaniment)
Method
- Place the haddock fillets in a wide saucepan, skin side down.
- Pour in the milk to come halfway up the fillets and add the butter.
- Heat over low heat until just simmering — do not boil — and poach for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- Season generously with black pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve the fish with a little of the poaching milk spooned over, accompanied by toasted bread to mop up the juices.
How it was made : Finnan haddock takes its name from the village of Findon, near Aberdeen, where haddock was smoked over peat and green wood fires. Preserved by smoke and salt, it traveled by boat and rail to the cities, making it one of the first 'smoked fish' to cross the Atlantic.
The contemporary twist : Top with a poached egg and serve with smoked mashed potatoes for a New York-style brunch version.
Sources : Mrs Beeton, Book of Household Management (1861) · Catherine Brown, Scottish Cookery (1985)
Alexander Graham Bell · Charactorium