Haddock with anchovy caper cream

Haddock with anchovy caper cream is the perfect way to welcome spring. A light dish served with celeriac remoulade, Puy lentils and a classic Italian cold sauce, it's a hearty but healthy meal that heralds the buds and early blooms with a riot of flavour.

Spring tide

A few days of sunny skies in London, blooming daffodils and the first cherry blossom emerging: I don't need much encouragement to shift into spring mode.

This dish of seared haddock loins with a cold sauce, celeriac remoulade and fancied-up puy lentils ticks all the boxes; filling but light. It's also one of those perfect "I don't like Mondays" meals since you can prepare the remoulade and lentils over the weekend and store in the fridge. When you get back from work, all you need to do is heat the lentils and sear the fish: a tasty supper in under 10mins.

The first time I encountered this cold cream sauce was in Juan-les-Pins, where I was told it was a traditional French sauce. Hmmm, is it really? While I came across it or very similar versions in numerous parts of Mediterranean France, a research jaunt to the British Library on a completely different topic revealed an unexpected tangent. I discovered the same sauce (or very similar versions but all using cream and olive oil, and served cold) in a range of Italian texts dating from the 17th to 19th centuries. Here, recipes involved serving this cold sauce with various kinds of fish—tuna, trout, sea bream— as well as with veal.

This got me thinking. And, indeed, a little digging and it seems the inspiration for Vitello Tonnato, made internationally famous by Pellegrino Artusi in his hit 1891 cookbook, was the traditional Piedmontese manner of cooking boiled veal leftovers: they were "revived" in a broth rich in anchovies and capers and served cold and sliced. So, if we are going to get into a schoolyard fight over origins, I suspect the Italians got there first.

Regardless of its creation myths, one reason I really love this sauce is that it is a waste-free zone. Simply store whatever is left over covered and chilled in the fridge and it makes a fantastic salad dressing (mixed with a little extra olive oil and white wine vinegar) for days after you first serve it.

I'm cooking this meal with haddock loins. But, it works well with any filleted white fish with the skin on (at least one side) such as cod, hake, coli or sea bass. And, if you can get your hands on it, it's fantastic with Arctic char. I have also found it works well with meatier fish such as tuna or swordfish and equally with delicate whole rainbow trout—which I prefer to barbecue or grill rather than pan-sear since they can go a bit "gelatinous" in a situation that disallows excess liquid from dripping off or being evaporated by fire.

With the anchovies that are key to the sauce, use the preserved kind (bottled or tinned) not the more delicate "white" kind that are lightly marinaded and have that subtle, fresher, almost sweet flavour. Their role here is not about subtlety.

Not taking sides

I'm serving the fish with these particular side dishes simply because I think they work marvellously well. There's nothing to stop you from opting for others, whether sautéed potatoes, salad or wilted greens. And, purely for the carb counters, Puy lentils actually contain proportionally more carbohydrates than potatoes, so don't force them down if you don't like them and would prefer a potato. The options are pretty much endless.

My go-to method for cooking Puy lentils is in vegetable stock (as here) with the juice of a lemon squeezed in and the whole lemon "carcass" chucked into the pot to be removed just before serving. However, since lemon is very present in other parts of this dish, I'm avoiding lemon overkill and using bay leaves instead.

Remember that Puy lentils (don't be confused by the brown colour, technically they're a type of green lentil) don't require soaking, only rinsing. In fact, soaking can make them soggy when cooked. This makes them a great lentil choice when you haven't got time to hang about soaking things for hours. Similarly, if you live somewhere where Puy lentils are hard to find, you can use green lentils instead. Canada and India are the world's biggest producers of green lentils and, between them, you can find them pretty much all over the world.

With the asparagus, I prefer to steam it separately before adding to the lentils in the last few minutes of cooking. But, you can simply add it to the pot in which you are cooking the lentils after about the first 5mins. Some would argue this improves the flavour since it's cooked in the stock. The main reason I choose not to do so is actually the colour: it can go "a bit beige" when cooked together with the lentils. NB: this doesn't happen with green lentils.

A true seldersla or seldersalade aka celeriac remoulade involves no other veggie than celeriac. It's traditional as a side dish throughout much of Western Europe. And, in Belgium it's often a lunch option, eaten on bread or toast, in its traditional form or tarted up with grated hard cheese or other modern twists such as walnuts, parsley or raw spinach. Similarly, while I'm doing it here with a the traditional mayonnaise, hip younger chefs have made it fashionable with dressings more of the vinaigrette ilk. I'm including carrots, more for colour than anything else, but you can get entirely experimental with it. It won't break unless you do something ridiculous like flecks of gold leaf—yes, I have dined at that pretentious restaurant in Knokke...

I always serve this dish with a small crusty, seeded roll because the cold sauce is delicious with bread.

This recipe is for 2 to 3 diners but can be scaled up for larger groups. NB: the images illustrating it here are not 100% indicative of quantities.

3 top tips to get this recipe right:

• The trick to a good celeriac remoulade (or more accurately seldersla since mine is distinctly of Flemish provenance) is to make sure the celeriac is neither too finely nor too thickly cut. The problem is that it is a beast of vegetable that affords a lot of resistance. Unless you have a very fancy food processor that can create "square cut" (basically very fine julienne) strips, the best result involves using a spiraliser. But if, like me, you cannot be bothered messing about with spiralising tubby, squat veggies (which results in a lot of unnecessary waste) the next best option is a big-gauge grater

• Don't overdo the oil when cooking the fish. Here it's merely a lubricant not a medium for shallow frying. Don't move the fish about in the pan and don't panic if it sticks at first. After a couple of minutes, when the surface has suitably seared, it will come loose. Either gently shake the pan from side to side or ease it off with a spatula. Similarly, the fish will cook very quickly. While cooking times may vary slightly depending on the thickness of your loin/fillet, the pan and the heat, be careful to not overcook. You want your fish cooked, but moist and with white fish the difference between perfect and overcooked can happen in less than half a minute

• For the sauce, it's really important that the cooked cream has had sufficient time to cool to room temperature before you whisk in the olive oil otherwise you risk the oil and cream separating. Similarly, it's important you don't chill the cooked cream in the fridge (unless allowing sufficient time for it to return to room temperature)

Shopping list

for the haddock with anchovy caper cream

• 1 or 2 haddock loins (depending on size) per diner; skin on

• Approx. 75ml single cream

• Approx. 60g anchovies; finely chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic; finely grated

• 2 tbspns capers, finely chopped

• A generous clutch of fresh parsley; finely chopped

• Approx. 8 tbspns plain white flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper

• the juice of ½ a fresh lemon

• Extra virgin olive oil as needed; probably approx. 4tbsns

• salt  and pepper to taste

• Seeded bread rolls (optional)

  
  

the celeriac remoulade (seldersla)

• ½ a celeriac; peeled and roughly grated or spiralised

  2 carrots; peeled and grated or spiralised

• Enough mayonnaise to coat the ingredients liberally

• A small clutch of chives, finely chopped

• salt and pepper to taste

the puy lentils with asparagus

• Approx. 1 cup of puy lentils; washed and drained

• Approx. 300ml vegetable stock

• 2 or 3 bay leaves; fresh or dried

• Approx. 120g fresh green asparagus; washed and cut into about 3 to 4cm pieces

• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking method

NB: this isn't listed in the running order. The running order should be:

1. Create your celeriac remoulade and store in the fridge, removing with enough time to return to room temperature before serving.

2. In the interim, cook the first stage of the anchovy caper cream and allow it enough time to fully cool. i.e. at least 3hours

3. Get your Puy lentils with asparagus on the go while completing the second stage of the anchovy caper cream.

4. Only then, sear the fish, which takes very little time to cook.

Do it in this order because it all needs to be brought together in a timely manner as soon as you plate the fish.

the celeriac remoulade (seldersla)

1. You can do this some time before e.g. up to 48 hours before and store in the fridge (though I advise adding the chives just before serving)

2. Grate or spiralise your celeriac and add to a large bowl that allows you to mix with ease. Immediately start adding the mayonnaise and folding in—cut or grated celeriac starts to turn brown alarmingly quickly if left to its own devices. One of the classic ways to prevent this is to stir in a little lemon juice. But, since we're avoiding "lemon overkill", the mayonnaise works just as well. You don't need to add the total mayonnaise content at this point, just enough to coat all the celeriac

3. Grate or spiralise you carrots and add these to the dish, folding in and adding more mayonnaise if needed. Season with salt and pepper and store, covered in the fridge

4. When you've returned it to room temperature, add the chives, mixing in, and and any additional seasoning, then serve

the haddock with anchovy caper cream

the anchovy caper cream

1. Do this first since it needs to fully cool to room temperature before the second stage. In a small saucepan, heat the cream on a medium heat. When it begins to simmer, add the garlic and stir in. Almost immediately add the capers and anchovies. Stir continuously so that they disintegrate further in the sauce base

2. Don't let the cream boil too vigorously, and continue to stir as you cook it for about 5 to 6mins or until you notice a "change" in the cream i.e. reducing and thickening

3. Remove from the heat and cover the pot. Allow to cool to room temperature for at least a few hours

4. Once the cream is cooled, squeeze in the lemon juice, add the parsley and whisk in

5. Add the extra virgin olive oil, about 2tbspns at a time and whisk in. There isn't an exact measurement here. When it achieves a constituency that is fairly fluid, but not overly "runny", it's ready. Cover and place to one side until serving as a cold (or more accurately room temperature since it should not be chilled) sauce

the seared haddock

1. Sprinkle flour seasoned with salt and pepper into a suitable shallow container or onto a plate. Ensure your haddock is not too wet, patting it down with paper towels if needed

2. Heat your pan on a high-to medium heat. Only when the pan is hot do you pour in (or baste it with) a very thin coating of olive oil. Coat the fish on all sides with the flour, making sure to shake off all the excess

3. Gently lay this into the hot pan, skin-side down i.e. the side that will be presented when serving. Don't move the fish about, but gently press down onto it (making sure it makes contact with the hot pan) with a spatula or fish slice while cooking. While the first side is cooking, season the raw (up) side with a little more salt (and pepper if you wish)

4. Sear for about 2mins. You will know the first side is done i.e. when it no longer sticks to the pan. If it sticks when you try to move it, leave it a little longer. Turn and sear for another 2mins or so on the other side; until cooked, but still moist

5. Plate and immediately serve with the sauce and side dishes

the Puy lentils with asparagus

1. First steam your asparagus; drain and place to one side. You can do this some time before cooking the lentils

2. Rinse the lentils thoroughly in cold water. Add to a pot with a lid and pour in the diluted vegetable stock (about 1 cup). Add the bay leaves as you bring it to the boil. Boil vigorously for approx. 3mins, then reduce the heat and keep at a healthy simmer, covered, for about 20mins, stirring occasionally. If the liquid cooks off too quickly and the lentils are not yet cooked al dente; add a little more liquid stock or boiling water

3. When almost all of the liquid has cooked off, add the asparagus and stir in. Reduce to a low heat and re-cover. Stir occasionally until both the asparagus and lentils are optimally cooked, seasoning with salt if needed. As soon as optimally cooked, remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until the fish is ready to serve

   
   

Alternatives

This is by its very nature a pescatarian dish and there's no getting past that. This combination of side dishes work well with any number of vegan and vegetarian dishes. They range from the lactovegetarian groententaart (literally "vegetable tart") that is very similar to a quiche, but usually with a higher ratio of vegetables and a flaky, puff pastry rather than the shortcrust of pastry used in quiches. Or a vegan walnut, apple, leek and spinach nut roast (if we're keeping to Flemish flavours).

As a spring dish, for carnivores, these side dishes work wonderfully with witloof met hesp; a traditional Flemish dish of endive wrapped in ham or bacon baked in a cheesy béchamel sauce. Not to mention that it's also a great lactovegetarian option simply by ditching the ham and wrapping the witloof in flame-roasted, peeled bell peppers; the kind found preserved in bottles in delis and supermarkets around the world.

But, all of those are entirely different recipes. So, on this occasion, I must insist on being a little fishy.

Pairings

I'm not going to be tricksy and go against tradition with a red or rosé, even though there are plenty that could work. But, this dish could be used to demonstrate why white wines work well with fish. And there is nothing that works better than a good Pouilly-Fumé or Pouilly-Fuissé or, if you're canny, a good Viré-Clessé, which delivers pretty much the same effect but without the reputation or price tag. One of the wines I have repeatedly most enjoyed with this dish is Delhaize Viré-Clessé Blanc Sec, the "own brand" effort by the high-end Belgian supermarket chain. Sure, quality varies from year to year, but it became my "old faithful" for this and many other white fish dishes. I used to check in an extra piece of hold luggage loaded with the stuff from Antwerp to London City until the Brexit Bastards started body searches for "decadent contraband" like something from a Nancy Mitford novel.

That said, there are plenty of other options. And, it's usually one of these with which I have this dish these days. Think Riesling, Picpoul de Pinet or Albariño (or any number of other Rías Baixas whites) that share that fresh, acidic hint of a bubble that never really arrives, and you're going in the right direction. My runaway recommendation in recent years paired with this dish is Paco & Lola Albariño 2020.