Finnan Haddie Recipe

This classic finnan haddie recipe is Richard's all-time favorite! Ingredients: (2 big servings) 1 lb finnan haddie 2 3/4 cups of milk 1 oz. butter 1 1/2 tbl plain flour 1/2 tsp turmeric. 1 tbl Colman's English mustard powder 1 tsp ground black pepper. 1 very small pinch chili powder 2 medium leeks Method: Cut the haddock filets into large chunks keeping the skin on. Cover with milk in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove pan from heat and let it sit until haddock is cooked. Pour the milk into a glass jug and cool. Avoid any loose fish scales. Remove the haddock from the skin in large flakes. Notice the nice sticky quality. Avoid getting scales from the skin into the flakes. Make a white sauce with the flour, butter and the haddock flavored milk. Keep at least half of the milk back. Add turmeric to give nice yellow color. Add at least two heaping teaspoons of Colman's mustard powder. More will not hurt. Add a small pinch of chili powder, enough to 'pick up' the flavor but not enough to add heat. Add black pepper. Add the haddock flakes including any juice that has accumulated. Stir, bring up the heat. Add more turmeric if you like color. Take off heat. Blanch fresh-diced leek for 2 minutes. Add leeks to sauce. Thin with most of remaining milk to desired thickness. Heat to serve. Use remaining milk to thin each time you serve. Add more butter if you wish. Add more pepper to taste. Serving Suggestions A popular Scottish way of serving this dish is with peas and new potatoes. Try this at least once it is great! Additional leek on the side is good. Otherwise this finnan haddie sauce is great over your favorite pasta. It also makes a wonderful, savory pie filling. You can also serve your finnan haddie flaked into your favorite fish stew or chowder where it will add amazing sparks of smoky flavor and a nice little color. About our finnan haddie Fresh haddock filets are always salted and smoked on the skin here at Stonington. This keeps the large flakes of haddock juicy and succulent and keeps the salt in perfect balance. Cooking finnan haddie on the skin is also desirable for the very best result since the skin adds flavor and helps to maximize juiciness. We salt cure the fresh haddock using an age-old Scottish method, using a mixture of salt and water tested for saltiness with a genuine traditional brass brinometer. The brinometer was specially made in Aberdeen and shipped to us, and it ensures exact original saltiness and product authenticity. Special treatment of the large sides of haddock after salting gives them a beautiful glossy appearance. The gold color comes during and after the slow cool smoke, where we maintain a gentle light hard wood smoke for at least 15 hours in the Innes Walker smoking kiln. We burn a mixture of hickory and cherry saw dust at a low temperature through the cool night hours. Then we hand pick out each side when it has reached perfect state the next day, attaining our classic light golden color without use of dye. We do not add sugar and, of coarse, no preservatives. Excellent fresh haddock is key to our finnan haddie success story.

R.W. Apple of The New York Times said of ours:
"a rich, glossy smoked haddock, known to the Scots as finnan haddie (Cooked and flaked, it is the vital ingredient in a satisfying British breakfast and supper dish, the Arnold Bennett omelet."