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Cauliflower Cheese & Smoked Haddock Bake

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Yesterday, I decided to make this dish, as the fish monger comes to our town, and he does wonderful un-dyed smoked haddock. The excitement was high, with my mouth watering off I went in the pouring rain... ...No fish monger!!!! I would not of bothered but, sighs, I already had my cauliflower and leeks, and we need to eat so, sadly, the supermarket it was as I love this dish oh soooo much. Use as much fish as you can afford, but, even just a little will still make a lovely meal. You could also switch it up using a different sort of fish.

Click the Method tab below to see a step by step guide with pictures.

cauli cheese smoked haddock baked

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 4

for the cheese sauce

  • 50g butter
  • 50g flour
  • Pinch of Salt & black pepper
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 OXO™ vegetable stock cube
  • 150g extra mature (No. 6 strength) cheddar cheese
  • 1 pint of whole or semi-skimmed milk

for the roasting dish

  • Tin of baked beans
  • Medium cauliflower cut into florettes
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 medium leeks white ends sliced
  • 2 green ends of the leeks cut into quarters & sliced
  • Dash of oil
  • Knob of butter
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 4 Smoked haddock fillets
  • Cherry tomatoes to garnish

method

Leeks! Once you have quartered and sliced the green ends of the leeks, soak them in cold water and rinse well. Discard any that are still dirty.

Note: It's best to use fresh fish for this dish as frozen fish is loaded with water and will make your sauce a bit runny. It will still taste great, so don't worry too much if frozen is all you can get.

So, first of all turn your oven on set to 180c and prep' your ingredients:

ingredients prepared
ingredients
  1. Tip the beans into a ceramic dish or roasting tin
  2. Put the cauli' florettes in a large pan of water
  3. Bring to a boil & simmer for 5 mins
  4. Add the cauliflower leaves for a minute
  5. Drain & immerse in ice cold water
  6. When stone cold, drain well
  7. Add a dash of oil to the hot pan
  8. Add a knob of butter, salt & pepper
  9. Allow the butter to melt
  10. Add your leeks & cover for just 3 mins
  11. Remove the lid and allow to dry with the heat still on
  12. Let the steam disperse & let the leeks cool
  13. Place the cauli' florettes onto the beans
add the cauli'
cauliflower beans
  1. Place the leeks over the top
add the leeks
leek topping
  1. Spoon over the cheese sauce
add the cheese sauce
cheese topping
  1. Put it in the oven for 30 mins, then:
  2. If using frozen fish, put it on top of the cheese
  3. If fresh fish, bury it a little deeper to protect it
  4. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top
  5. Decorate with the cherry tomatoes
  6. Pop it back in the oven for 15mins* @ 180c

*or the duration advised on the packet if using frozen fish

  1. Check that the cauli' is cooked when the top is brown**

**You should be able to easily push a fork or sharp knife through the cauliflower stalks when it is cooked

The reason the timing can not be exact is that every cauliflower is different and some have a more open florette

serve with a warm bagbette
cauli cheese smoked haddock baked
...& lashings of butter!
dinner plated
cauliflower cheese with leeks & smoked haddock