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Broiled Finnan Haddie
Broil in a greased broiler until brown on both sides. Remove to a pan, and cover with hot water; let stand ten minutes, drain, and place on a platter. Spread with butter, and sprinkle with pepper.
Finnan haddie is cold-smoked haddock: cured and smoked but not cooked, so it needs heat before it goes to the table. The recipe assumes a fish considerably saltier than most of what is sold today, which changes how you handle the ten-minute soak.
- What to buyAsk for whole-side smoked haddock, undyed if you can find it; the bright yellow fillets are coloured with annatto or dye and are often more lightly cured. A side of about 1 to 1 1/2 lb serves three or four.
- The broilerSet a rack 4 to 5 inches below the element and preheat it fully. Skin side down first, three to four minutes a side for a piece under an inch thick, until the surface browns and the flesh flakes at the thickest point.
- Why the hot waterThe likeliest purpose is desalting rather than cooking: finnan haddie sold at the turn of the century was often cured much more heavily than today's, and steeping the broiled fish in hot water would draw off excess salt while plumping the flesh. The recipe itself does not say why.
- Adjust the soakModern smoked haddock is mildly cured. Taste a flake after broiling: if it is pleasantly seasoned, skip the soak entirely or give it two or three minutes. A full ten minutes in hot water will leave today's fish bland and waterlogged.
- DonenessSmoking does not cook the fish. Take it to 145F at the thickest part, or until the flesh separates cleanly into flakes.
- Bones and skinFinnan haddie is traditionally split on the bone. Run your fingers along the fillet after broiling and pull the pin bones; the skin lifts away easily once hot.
- FinishingButter and pepper only, as written. Do not add salt; if you want lemon, it is better offered at the table than cooked onto the fish.
- ServingThis is breakfast or supper food. Poached or hard-cooked eggs, boiled potatoes, or plain toast are the usual accompaniments.
Finnan haddie is usually said to take its name from Findon, a fishing village south of Aberdeen on the Scottish coast, where haddock was split, brined and cold-smoked, though Findhorn on the Moray Firth is a long-standing rival claim; the cure is generally traced to smoking over peat and seaweed. Smoked haddock travelled well in barrels and became a fixture of the American Northeast, where a heavily salted, shelf-stable fish was worth having in the pantry. Boston's fish trade handled Scottish and Canadian Maritime cures in quantity. The instruction to soak the fish after broiling may hint at how much harder the cure was then than it is now.