This week our theme is fish according to my two bosses Caroline and Pia. 😁 Are you like me and intimidated by fish recipes? Fear no more! This is actually the easiest and quickest recipe ever. Super delicious! It’s a classic in my family. My mom would make it all the time when we were growing up.
The original recipe is with haddock (“arinca” in Portuguese and “eglefino” in Spanish), but my mom would always use fresh, but frozen, Atlantic codfish. Haddock are actually part of the cod family, but they are smaller than Atlantic cod. Haddock is the fish that most chefs prefer for fish and chips for example. The texture isn't as flaky or tender as cod, but the meat has more flavour. Here in Portugal I usually buy hake (also called “whiting” in English, “pescada” in Portuguese and “merluza” in Spanish), which are also part of the cod family. This succulent white fish has a slightly sweeter flavour than cod, with similar price and can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Cod has been an important economic commodity in international markets since the Viking period (around 800 AD). Norwegians travelled with dried cod and soon a dried cod market developed in southern Europe. This market has lasted for more than 1,000 years, enduring the Black Death, wars and other crises, and is still an important Norwegian fish trade. The Portuguese began fishing cod in the 15th century. Dried, salted cod (bacalhau) is widely enjoyed in Portugal to this day.
The other main ingredient in this recipe is dill (“endro” or “aneto” in Portuguese and “eneldo” in Spanish). Dill is a staple in Swedish cuisine and considered the King of Herbs in Sweden. It is a key ingredient in many dishes and the attractive feathery fronds are so often used as a garnish that it is almost a symbol of Swedishness. We add dill to fish dishes, such as herring and salmon, we add it to the mustard sauce that is served alongside "gravlax" (cured salmon), we boil potatoes with dill, we add it to veal and lamb stews, we mix it into our cucumber salads and we cook our crayfish with dill. We even eat lots of dill flavoured potato chips! The seeds are also used for pickling, bread baking and flavouring aquavit (our schnaps! 🥂). Dill has also been used to fight headaches since ancient times and is also thought to aid digestion. Here in Lisbon the only place I can get a hold of dill is at the fresh herbs section of El Corte Inglés supermarket.
Ingredients
- Approx. 800 g of packaged, fresh, but frozen, haddock, codfish or hake
- 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 200 ml water
- 200 ml cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1-2 dl cut up fresh dill
- Thaw the fish and cut into rectangular pieces (here they come pre-cut in a box).
- Mix flour and salt on a plate.
- Turn the pieces of fish in the flour mix.
- Melt the butter in a sauté pan on medium heat.
- Turn the pieces of fish in the butter.
- Pour the water on top of the fish, put the lid on and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Mix the egg yolks with the cream and the cut-up dill.
- Pour the mix over the fish, and let it heat up, but do not bring to boil.
- Serve with boiled potatoes.
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