New Take On Colcannon

[pufin3]

This is my interpretation of a Irish national treasure.

The fried lettuce replaces the cabbage.

I hope you will try it.

My Interpretation Of Irish Colcannon With Fresh Cod and Fried Lettuce.

Oven baked russet potatoes. Scoop out insides. Set aside. Cut up the skins which were well washed before baking. Put them in milk and keep the milk just hot not boiling.

When you make the mashed potatoes add the potatoes skin infused milk and the butter in the ratio you like your mashed potatoes. S&P seasoning.There’s a lot of flavour in the skins. Don’t add the skins to the mashed! LOL

Put the mashed potatoes, covered in a warm oven until serving.

 

Depending on the number of servings rough chop 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce (has to be iceberg variety). 1/2 head serves two adults.

A couple of Ts of butter into wok or heavy pan. Medium heat. Add rough chopped lettuce. Stir fry gently until the lettuce is just getting fried. Season. Don’t over fry it. Put it uncovered into a warm oven to keep warm until serving. You want to make this as soon before serving as practical.

Now the fish.

Buy enough fresh cod or thick white fleshed fish to serve generous portions. Try to buy fish with no bones or remove the bones at home.

Cut the fish into about 3’x3’ pieces.

The balance/ratio of the following ingredients is important. 

The following ingredients is for two adult servings: The fish goes in last.

Into a large enough pan to hold all the fish pieces without putting the fish pieces one on top of another. Add 2T butter, 2 fine chopped garlic cloves, 1 medium size shallot, 1/2 fine sliced bulb fennel, fine chop some of the fronds. Slowly cook these ingredients until the fennel is translucent. Then add 2 cups of half and half milk. Gently add the fish pieces. 

(Before you add the fish you want your guests to be at the table. If you are serving ‘starters’ they should have been already eaten.

Time your plating so the mashed potatoes and lettuce are ready to plate just as the fish is finished poaching.)

Turn up the heat to medium/low. You want the fish to poach in the milk but not boil.

The fish will literally only take a couple of minutes. Test the fish with a fork. You want the fish to just get to the point of flaking easily. Thirty seconds of over poaching will ruin the dish.

You have had the dinner plates in the warm oven so the food on them stays warm while eating.

To plate put a generous portion of mashed potatoes and fried lettuce on the plate separately. Gently place a few pieces of the poached fish on the plate. Then ladle on the hot milk onto just the fish.

 This next part really adds to the finished flavour: Place a few very thin slices of whole (washed) lemon on the plate. Remove any pits.

Your guests can use their forks to squeeze out as much lemon juice as they want to mix with the other ingredients. Delicious!

[pufin3]

I made this recipe again last night.

The fresh rock cod/ling cod/halibut are in the fish markets now. We 'gorge' on the fresh fish for a couple of weeks and buy enough to freeze which lasts us almost until next season.