Life

Fabulous fish dishes

Niall McKenna

Niall McKenna

James Street South and Waterman owner and chef Niall McKenna is an Irish News columnist

THIS week is all about fish, and our recipes include a delicious fish gratin which is great as a family dinner and a fantastic alternative to a traditional fish pie.

The second dish is a very easy stone bass recipe packed with flavours and simple to create for a quick dinner at home.

The gratin is a great way to use up any leftover potatoes as all you will need is some breadcrumbs, fish and some cream or crème fraiche.

It's a great weekend to celebrate local produce, with the Tesco Taste festival on Saturday and Sunday showcasing our amazing producers.

We have much to be proud of in Northern Ireland, and some of our finest restaurants are featured in the Belfast On A Plate recipe book, launched recently, which represents the incredible standard of our food scene here.

Stone bass with capers and lemon

2 x 175g fillets of stone bass or coley, scaled and pin boned

salt

pepper

1/2 lemon

olive oil

50g butter

1 tablespoon capers, drained from brine

2 sprigs flat leaf parsley, chopped

Start by patting the fish dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan and place the fish skin side down and let it cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is crisp. Using a fish slice turn over the stone bass and cook for a further two minute' maximum until the flesh is just cooked through to the middle. Remember that the fish will still carry on cooking due to the heat already in the fish. Remove from the heat.

Take the rind off the lemon and carefully remove the pith from the segments. In the same pan you have used add a couple of teapsoons of water and cook to remove the residue from the pan, tip out into the sink. Add the butter and melt until it smells nutty, remove from the heat and add in the lemon pieces and the capers and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and place on top of the fish and serve.

Creamy Fish and Spinach Gratin

Rapeseed oil to cook

1 small onion, diced

1 sprig thyme

salt and pepper

150ml white wine

200g spinach, roughly chopped

500g potatoes, cooked and mashed

150ml cream or crème friache

nutmeg to grate

300g smoked haddock, mackerel or kippers, broken into large flakes

For the topping

40g fresh breadcrumbs

40g cheese cheddar or parmesan grated

Start by pre-heating your oven to 200C.

Using the rapeseed oil, lightly grease an ovenproof dish.

In a pot add in a tablespoon of the rapeseed oil on a medium heat and add in the onion, thyme and season with salt. Cook until the onions are soft which should be 15 minutes, do not burn. Add in the wine once cooked and bring to a gentle simmer. Add in the spinach and place the lid on and cook for a further minute until the spinach has wilted.

Remove from the heat and add in the potatoes and cream and stir combining all the ingredients. Season with a grating of the fresh nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Add in the fish to the pot and mix gently. Place the mixture into the ovenproof dish and cover with the breadcrumbs and grated cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the topping is golden and you can see the mixture bubbling. Remove from oven and serve with seasonal greens.