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Smoked Haddock in Cheese Sauce

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Smoked Haddock In Cheese Sauce is a rich dish full of butter & cheese.

nutty tip clean Do not be tempted to just use strong cheddar, as it will be too salty and overpower the fish and you will not get the colour we are after.

The amount of fish I use is minimal making it a bit more affordable. A few more tricks to bulk it out means that 400g of frozen Smoked Haddock will serve 2 to 4. It is a very rich, filling dish, to which you could add spinich, broccoli or cauliflower to make it stretch to feeding four. But, it was just us two today, so we treated ourselves to a pure indulgent fish bake!

Click the Method tab below to see a step by step guide on how to make my Smoked Haddock In Cheese Sauce with pictures for illustration and guidance.

smoked-haddock-cheese-sauce-and-brown-bread

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

  • 400g smoked haddock fillets
  • 1 small white onion finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery finely chopped
  • 1 small leek finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dyjon mustard
  • 1 veg stock cube crumbled
  • 1 pint milk
  • 120g salted butter*
  • 50g plain flour
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 200g red leicester
  • 50g strong white cheddar
  • Extra vegetables (optional)**

*Added in three stages

**If adding any extra vegetables be sure to par boil them for 5 minutes in salted water, if adding spinich; dry pan fry for 5 minutes to remove the moisture.

method

Now to begin with, I'm going to cook the chopped veg in the microwave as we want our sauce ingredients softened with no browning. However, you can use your stove top if you prefer, just take your time and soften the veg' in butter on a low heat.

The fish will be partially baked, wrapped in baking paper and tin foil then baked in the oven and added to our sauce to finish cooking

That's the weekday quick method, but if you have a little more time, pour some love into making it on the stove top.

Tap the picture to see how I do that on Instagram nutty cta clean

Click / Tap for Video 4 stove-top method
nutty-instagram-camera

Here's the quick way, for when you are in a bit of a rush!

  1. First of all pre-heat your oven to 180c
  2. Put 50g of butter into the bottom of an oven proof dish
  3. Add all your veg & microwave on high for 2 mins
soften the veg'
veg softened 01
  1. Stir & repeat for another two minutes
stir & soften more
veg softened 02
  1. Add all your seasoning & another 50g of butter
  2. Add the flour & milk, stir well
  3. Microwave for two for 2 mins
  4. Remove, stir, cook for another two minutes
white sauce with softened veg'
white sauce with veg
  1. Add in your 200g of red leicester gently stir through
add red leicester
white sauce red cheese added
  1. Set the cheese sauce aside
  2. Create a parcel for your fish with 20g of butter
lay the fish on baking paper & foil
fish on paper
create a parcel
fish wrapped in foil
  1. Wrap it tightly & put in the oven for about 20 mins*

*The fish should be thawed and just starting to cook after 20 mins depending on the thickness of the fish.

  1. Take the fish out of the oven
  2. Remove the skin
  3. Break each fillet into large chunks
  4. Add the fish & juices to your sauce
add the fish
cheese sauce fish added
  1. Top with your cheddar cheese
top with cheddar
cheese added to sauce
  1. Bake uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes @ 180c
smoked haddock in cheese sauce
ssmoked-haddock-in-cheese-sauce-ready-to-serve.webp

Yes! So good I made another, this time cooked on the stove top with a whole load of love :-)

smoked haddock in cheese sauce
smoked-haddock-cheese-sauce-and-brown-bread

Served simply with thick home sliced brown bread — and a little butter if you like.

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