Smoked haddock rabbit croquettes
I had a genius Welsh rarebit at St John in Marylebone after it first opened and I order it every time I go, even if I’m only walking past. This is a fishy take on that same dish that we occasionally put on the menu at the Oyster & Fish House. I’ve kept the historic name ‘rabbit’ instead of the modern ‘rarebit’.
It’s a good way to use up the end pieces of a fillet of smoked haddock so you can keep the thick-cut centre to have with a poached egg or another dish. These don’t really need to be served with anything as the filling is nice and soft but you could try them with a pickle such as onion, cucumber or pickled walnut. You could also make small ones to serve as snacks with drinks.
Timings
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time
Serves
4 as a starter or 8 as a snack
Ingredients
100g natural smoked haddock
50ml beer such as stout or IPA, (I’ve used Guinness 0%)
50ml double cream
125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
? tbsp Worcestershire sauce
? tbsp English or Tewkesbury mustard
vegetable or corn oil for deep frying
pickled onions, to serve (optional)
For the coating
60g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
120g fresh white breadcrumbs
8 slices of thin white bread, crusts removed
Method
Poach the haddock in simmering water for 4-5 minutes or until just cooked, then lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Remove the skin.
Put the beer in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil then turn down the heat and leave to simmer until it’s reduced by two thirds. Add the cream, then reduce this mixture by half again until it’s thickened.
Put the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and some seasoning in a bowl. Pour over the beer and cream mixture and stir. Add the reserved haddock, breaking it into large flakes with your fingers then stir it in gently. Leave the mixture to cool then cover and chill for an hour.
Use a rolling pin to flatten 4 of the bread slices to make them as thin as possible. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of mixture onto each slice in a horizontal line towards the bottom edge, leaving a 0.5cm gap at the sides and base. Roll each into a cylinder. With wet fingers, pinch the ends of the cylinders firmly together to seal the mixture in. Place on a plate with the seams on the underside and cover with a damp tea towel to stop them drying out while you roll the other 4 slices.
Put the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into three separate containers. Dip each ‘rabbit’ in the flour to coat it and shake off any excess. Then dip it in the beaten egg, making sure the side seams are well coated. Finally, dip each one in the breadcrumbs.
Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large thick-bottomed saucepan or deep fat fryer. Pinch the ends of the rabbits a final time to make sure they are still sealed. Fry the rabbits for 2-3 minutes until golden, turning them with a slotted spoon as they cook and spooning over some of the hot oil to help brown the tops. Drain on kitchen paper and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving with the pickled onions.
