Smoked haddock Benedict
Serves 4 as a starter, or 2 as a lunch or supper dish
Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes
450-625 g (1 lb - 1 lb 6 oz)
un-dyed smoked haddock fillets
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
4 large eggs
2 English muffins, split in half
For the hollandaise:
2 large egg yolks
1
1
/
2
tsp lemon juice
175 g (6 oz) unsalted butter,
melted and hot
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper
Method:
1. Put a kettle full of water on to boil ready for
poaching the eggs.
2. Skin the tomatoes by placing in a perforated
container. Blanch at 100°C for 1 minute, after
which time the skins should peel off easily.
De-seed and cut into medium sized dice.
3. Preheat your main oven grill to 220°C.
4. Next, place the haddock in a perforated
container, season with salt and pepper and
cook at 75°C for 5 minutes. When cooked,
remove and flake into chunky pieces, cover
and keep warm.
5. Make the hollandaise sauce by whizzing the
egg yolks and lemon juice in a food processor
or blender for 1 minute. With the motor
running, start to pour the melted butter into
the eggs, at first drop by drop, then in a
trickle, then in a thin stream as if you were
making mayonnaise, excluding the last milky-
white residue from the butter. Transfer to a
large jug, season with salt and pepper and stir
in the dill and tomato.
6. To poach the eggs in the steam oven, fill a
shallow dish or a solid container with boiling
water, and carefully crack the eggs directly
into the water. Adding a few drops of vinegar
to the water helps to stabilise the eggs. Place
in a perforated container and cook at 100°C
for 2–3 minutes. The whites should be set and
the yolks slightly soft.
7. Whilst the eggs are cooking, toast the cut
sides of the muffins. When the eggs are ready,
remove from the water with a slotted spoon,
draining well.
8. To assemble the dish, place half a muffin on a
serving plate, top with some chunks of
haddock followed by a poached egg, then
spoon over some of the hollandaise sauce.
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