This week we are returning to some simple seafood suppers that are cost-effective and packed with flavour while still maintaining a bit of restaurant magic. As often as possible I try to incorporate fish into our home cooking. It’s really quick to cook and you can bulk it up with things like the cassoulet recipe here, to avoid anyone complaining about being hungry. Aside from that it’s always good to support local suppliers and fishmongers where possible.
The first dish of roasted hake is all about the flavour development in the cassoulet. The key to this recipe is in the caramelisation and reduction of the vegetables and liquid. The more colour you can get on the vegetables, the more sugars will be developed and the better the flavour will be. It’s also important to note that charring and blackening the vegetables is not what we are after because this creates bitter flavours that we won’t be able to fix later.
When the liquids go in, it’s important to reduce them properly to intensify the taste and then give it the patience required to bubble away and come together. You can fly through these steps and end up with a stew that will look the exact same as the “patience” version but will taste completely different. This is the magic of cooking, and specifically sauce making. As my first head chef, Noel Enright, told me wisely many years ago in The Chart House restaurant in Dingle, Co Kerry: “It’s the small things that make great food.” These are the small things he was referring to.
The cassoulet is finished with prawns and some seasoning before being topped with the roasted fish to bring it all together. The cassoulet can be batch-cooked and stored, or frozen down for a variety of uses. If prawns aren’t your thing, you can leave them out or replace them with some bacon chunks or even diced sausages for something a little meatier.
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The second dish makes for a lovely lunch, starter or snack on the go, using hot smoked salmon as a base. Mixed with cream cheese and heavily seasoned, this is wholesome cooking. I’ve added a recipe for some simple pickled cucumber slices with dill that pair classically with salmon as well as my go-to recipe for brown bread. The addition of stout, treacle and honey brings a depth of malt flavours with a hint of sweetness. Even if you don’t go near the salmon pâté or pickles, this is a great one to try this weekend, straight out of the oven with a slab of salted butter melting into it.
