Equipment
Ingredients
Fish and Poaching Liquid
- 300 g smoked haddock fillet, skinless, pin bones removed
- 300 ml whole milk
- 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Mushroom Cream Sauce
- 200 g mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and roughly torn
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1 garlic, finely minced
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 50 g crème fraîche
- 5 g dijon mustard
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 15 g fresh chives, finely chopped
Serving
- 4 sourdough bread, cut into thick slices
- 30 ml olive oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 515 kcal
- Protein
- 29 g
- Carbohydrates
- 33 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1181 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 117 mg
- Potassium
- 664 mg
- Calcium
- 164 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 60 mg
- Phosphorus
- 332 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 247 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 6 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.13 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.44 mg
- Niacin
- 5.7 mg
- Folate
- 30 mcg
- Water
- 203 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the smoked haddock and bay leaf into a medium saucepan. Pour over the whole milk until the fish is just covered. Bring to a gentle simmer at 85°C/185°F, cover, and gently poach until the fish is opaque and begins to flake.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the haddock from the milk. Flake the fish into large, bite-sized chunks, discarding any missed pin bones. Reserve 30ml of the poaching milk and discard the rest.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the sourdough slices with olive oil on both sides. Toast in the skillet until crisp and deeply golden brown on both sides. Remove and set aside on a warm plate.
In the same skillet, lower the heat to medium and melt the unsalted butter. Add the minced shallot and garlic, cooking until softened and translucent, avoiding any browning.
Increase the heat slightly and add the torn wild mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms release their moisture, the water evaporates, and they take on a rich, roasted caramelization.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream, crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, and the reserved 30ml of poaching milk. Simmer gently until the sauce reduces and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Gently fold in the flaked haddock, lemon juice, and chopped chives. Stir very carefully to warm the fish through without breaking up the delicate flakes. Taste and adjust seasoning with black pepper; salt is rarely needed due to the smoked fish.
Place a slice of toasted sourdough on each plate. Generously spoon the warm, creamy smoked haddock and mushroom mixture over the bread, allowing some sauce to pool onto the plate. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Undyed smoked haddock provides a beautiful, delicate flavor without the artificial yellow hue. Ask your fishmonger for an oak-smoked, undyed fillet.
- Tearing wild mushrooms rather than slicing them with a knife creates jagged edges that crisp up beautifully in the pan and absorb the cream sauce perfectly.
- Be incredibly gentle when folding the haddock back into the sauce. The contrast between the large, meaty flakes of fish and the velvety sauce is key to the dish's sophistication.
- The sourdough should be sliced thick enough to hold up to the rich sauce without disintegrating. Pan-toasting in olive oil creates a much better moisture barrier than using a standard toaster.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store the creamed haddock mixture separately from the bread to prevent sogginess. Reheat gently on the stove.
Troubleshooting
Cream sauce splits and looks oily
Cause: Boiling the dairy too vigorously or high acidity from the lemon juice interacting with high heat
Fix: Remove from heat immediately and whisk in 15ml of cold water or cold cream until the emulsion comes back together
Prevention: Keep the heat low when adding dairy and stir in lemon juice off the heat at the very end
Mushrooms are soggy and pale
Cause: Overcrowding the pan or insufficient heat when sautéing
Fix: Increase heat, pour off excess liquid if necessary, and continue cooking until browned
Prevention: Ensure the pan is hot before adding mushrooms and do not stir them immediately; let them sit to develop a crust
Cultural Context
Smoked haddock is a cornerstone of traditional Scottish and British cookery, most famously featured in dishes like Cullen Skink and Kedgeree. This tartine elevates those rustic, comforting flavor profiles—smoke, dairy, and allium—by pairing them with refined French techniques and earthy wild mushrooms, transforming humble ingredients into an elegant starter.
