Smoked Haddock Welsh Rarebit

This Smoked Haddock Welsh Rarebit recipe is inspired by the late, great, Gary Rhodes and his love of brilliant local ingredients. It's a simple but outstanding dish. The rarebit keeps in the fridge brilliantly for around a week too and can be used on toast!

Ingredients

Rarebit:
  • 500g grated cheddar cheese
  • 100ml bitter
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp English Mustard
  • Few drops Tabasco
  • 4 tbs plain flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 x 200g undyed smoked haddock
  • 2 sliced and skinned tomatoes
  • Few chives chopped mixed with 1 tbs olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pint of milk

Method

Poach the haddock in the milk for 2-3 minutes.

For the rarebit, add the cheese to a cold pan, add all the remaining ingredients (except the plain flour and egg yolks) including a ladle full of the milk from the haddock pan. Heat but don’t let it boil and stir continuously. Add the flour, continuing to stir. The sauce will thicken. Remove from the heat and add the egg yolks. Mix them in, then pour the mixture into a bowl.

Put the haddock onto a buttered baking tray, season, cover with rarebit, put under the grill until golden brown.

Meanwhile heat the oil and chives in a pan, but do not allow the mixture to boil. Lay the sliced tomatoes onto plates, drizzle over chives and oil, season and top with fish and rarebit.

Ingredients

Rarebit:
  • 500g grated cheddar cheese
  • 100ml bitter
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp English Mustard
  • Few drops Tabasco
  • 4 tbs plain flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 x 200g undyed smoked haddock
  • 2 sliced and skinned tomatoes
  • Few chives chopped mixed with 1 tbs olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pint of milk

Method

Poach the haddock in the milk for 2-3 minutes.

For the rarebit, add the cheese to a cold pan, add all the remaining ingredients (except the plain flour and egg yolks) including a ladle full of the milk from the haddock pan. Heat but don’t let it boil and stir continuously. Add the flour, continuing to stir. The sauce will thicken. Remove from the heat and add the egg yolks. Mix them in, then pour the mixture into a bowl.

Put the haddock onto a buttered baking tray, season, cover with rarebit, put under the grill until golden brown.

Meanwhile heat the oil and chives in a pan, but do not allow the mixture to boil. Lay the sliced tomatoes onto plates, drizzle over chives and oil, season and top with fish and rarebit.