Arbroath Smokies

'Cheese Smokie'
 a warming and delicious supper for a cold night

Yesterday and as Good Friday was almost upon us, Toot and I visited our favourite fishmongers Alan and Bryan Snow at 'The World of Fish' in Lowestoft.  http://world-of-fish.co.uk/index.asp

The slab was a virtual cornucopia of denizens of the deep. Toot chose a fine fillet of plaice and I chose a sea bass fillet and later tonight both will accompany new potatoes and peas upon our Easter Friday dinner plates.

In a chilled cabinet, next to the kippers and smoked haddock was a neat pile of Arbroath Smokies.  Now I'm very partial to a 'smokie'!  If you haven't tried one, all I can say is get yourself to Arbroath or The World of Fish and treat yourself .  Your taste buds will never stop thanking you!

The Arbroath Smokie is in fact a hot smoked haddock and in my opinion smoked fish "doesn't get better than this".  The biggest flavour you can put on a plate but like a good wine or whisky not lacking in subtlety.

Two rows of small haddock awaiting removal from
the hot smoke

Arbroath smokies are prepared using traditional methods dating back to the late 1800s.

The fish are first salted overnight. They are then tied in pairs using hemp twine, and left overnight to dry. Once they have been salted, tied and dried, they are hung over a triangular length of wood to smoke. This "kiln stick" fits between the two tied smokies, one fish on either side. The sticks are then used to hang the dried fish in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire.

When the fish are hung over the fire, the top of the barrel is covered with a lid and sealed around the edges with wet jute sacks (the water prevents the jute sacks from catching fire). All of this serves to create a very hot, humid and smoky fire. The intense heat and thick smoke is essential if the fish are to be cooked, not burned, and to have the strong, smoky taste and smell people expect from Arbroath smokies. Typically in less than an hour of smoking, the fish are ready to eat.

Because the 'smokie' is hot smoked you can eat the creamy white flesh straight from the fishmonger just as you would smoked salmon.  Good brown bread, salt crystal butter, Guinness or Champagne or Chablis or Bowmore Whisky all make for good accompaniments.

In 2004, the European Commission registered the designation "Arbroath smokies" as a Protected Geographical Indication under the EU's Protected Food Name Scheme, acknowledging its unique status

Last night was really chilly so I decided to use my 'smokie' to make a hot supper.  I can really recommend this recipe, years ago something like this used to be on the menu at 'The Short Blue' Public-house in Gorleston Norfolk.

Cheese Smokie:

• Remove the skin and bones from the smokie and carefully arrange the bone free creamy white flesh in an oven proof dish.
• Make some cheese sauce, I would recommend a blend of strong English Cheddar and finely grated Parmesan.
• Pour the cheese sauce over the fish to cover.
• Grate some extra Cheddar and Parmesan for the topping.
• Mix the cheese with some freshly made breadcrumbs, two teaspoons of whole grain Dijon mustard and a few chopped chives.
• Cover the cheese fish mixture with the cheesy breadcrumbs.
• Salt and black pepper to taste and then place in an oven on 150 deg C for 15 minutes or until the fish and sauce are hot and the crumbs are crunchy and browned.
• Decorate with a sprig of parsley.

Last night I ate this meal with two glasses of Sancerre brilliant! Top notch 'World of Fish' and three cheers for Arbroath and its smokies.

Credits: some text and image Wikipedia