oz) milk
50g (2 oz) Cheddar cheese, grated (e.g. Hegarty’s Cheddar)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp Dijon mustard
50g (2 oz) fresh breadcrumbs
Mash the boiled potatoes with a knob of butter and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Grease an ovenproof dish with the remaining butter and arrange the fish fillets in the base. Season with salt and pepper and pour in the milk.
In a small bowl, mix the grated cheese, thyme and mustard, and spread on top of the fish. Add the remaining mashed potatoes, and sprinkle the fresh breadcrumbs over the top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6 for 20 minutes. Serve with green beans, ratatouille (see page 11o) or a simple green salad.
This is one of my favourite recipes – it makes a fabulous light supper or a very decadent starter.
Serves 2
butter, for frying and for toast
12 raw king prawns, shelled
juice of 1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper
4 slices good-quality bread
Place a frying pan over a high heat and add a big knob of butter. When the butter has melted, throw in the prawns and squeeze in all the lemon juice with a good sprinkling of black pepper.
Toast the bread, butter it and pile the prawns on top (3 prawns per slice). Drizzle all the pan juices over them and enjoy. Heaven!
Fried Mackerel with Chilli and Rocket Salsa
At one of the first Slow Food markets I organised in Baltimore, a fishing village in West Cork, I asked Frank Hederman (a fish smoker, see following pages) to bring me a big bag of fresh mackerel, and a big bag he did bring – 200 fish in total! I set up a grill and spent the day cooking this delicious recipe. It was fantastic to see kids, fishermen, mums and dads and even very cool teenagers scoffing down their mackerel. It’s a wonderful fish.
Serves 2
knob of butter
2 fresh mackerel, filleted
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, optional
For the salsa:
1 small bunch of rocket, finely chopped
1 red tiger chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
First make the chilli and rocket salsa by placing all ingredients in a bowl and mixing well.
Place a frying pan over a high heat, melt in the butter and cook the fish, skin side down, for 2 minutes (adding a sprinkling of salt and pepper). Turn the fish over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Place the cooked mackerel on a warm plate and accompany with the chilli and rocket salsa and a wedge of lemon. Serve immediately.
Frank Hederman from Belvelly Smokehouse
Belvelly Smokehouse is the oldest smokehouse in Ireland. Run by Frank Hederman, Belvelly is best known for its smoked wild Irish salmon, prized for the subtle flavours characterised by a unique balance in taste between the fish and the beechwood smoke. All the fish are wild and sourced locally, or have been cultivated to organic certification. When wild salmon is in short supply, Frank uses Glenarm salmon, an organic fish that is reared off the coast of County Antrim, where the strong tides ensure a good lean texture and a beautiful smoked product.
Frank with his delicious smoked mackerel.
Frank is a passionate advocate for the highest standards and quality in artisan food production. At the smokehouse he uses only the finest ingredients to craft his end product, which include smoked mussels, mackerel, eel and haddock, as well as his award-winning salmon.
Frank started out in the early eighties alongside many of the early cheese makers and other artisan food producers. His motivation for going into salmon smoking wasn’t passion (that came later), but an eye for a good business opportunity. He grew up in Cobh where there was a strong fishing – and fish processing – culture and he needed to make a living. Like the farmers who turned their surplus of milk into cheese, Frank saw smoking as a good way to add value to salmon and other fish.
In 1996 he started trading at his first outdoor market, the Coal Quay Market – now known as Cornmarket – although locals still call it Coal Quay. A year later he was one of the pioneers at Temple Bar (a market in central Dublin). In at the beginning of the food revolution with a great product, Frank soon had stalls in Holywood, Co. Down, and eventually at other markets around Co. Dublin. The English market was a natural progression as he developed retail outlets and grew the business. He took a stall when Midleton Market started in 2000 and still sells there, as well as at Mahon Point and Cobh. When I first started at Midleton Market, I didn’t have the cash to invest in a proper umbrella and stall, but Frank bought them for me without question and allowed me to pay him back when my stall got busier. It taught me that farmers’ markets aren’t just about making money but that they are also about camaraderie and community – may this ethos stay alive. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Frank for his unquestioning support throughout my days at the markets.
Frank’s stall selling smoked fish and patés.
Belvelly is always looking for ways to develop new products. Recently they have produced smoked mussels marinated in vinaigrette, which are delicious just as they are, great in salads or on hot buttered brown toast canapés. The marinated mussels are also sold in pure olive oil, so that they can be used in hot dishes too. I think they are a fantastic idea for all cooks looking for that little extra inspiration. Rich and flavoursome, just two to four per person would flavour chowder, a risotto, or a leek tart.
Frank’s Smoked Eel with Celeriac and Crème Fraîche
It has been said by many renowned food writers that Frank Hederman (see previous pages) does the best smoked eel in the world – and I agree.
Serves 4
1 small celeriac
200ml (7fl oz) crème fraîche
50g (2 oz) whole hazelnuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
butter
8 brown bread slices
20cm (8in) piece smoked eel
Peel and grate the celeriac. Blanch by placing in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain well. Fold the celeriac through the crème fraîche.
Roast the hazelnuts in a preheated oven at 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6 for 10 minutes. Leave them to cool slightly before chopping finely and folding through the crème fraîche