Smoked fish & cherry tomato rarebit

Smoked fish & cherry tomato rarebit

Any kind of white-fleshed fish will do for this divine recipe - it's a great family dish to make

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 4 - 6

Preparation and cooking times

Total time

Ready in 1¼ hours

Freezable

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to fan 170C/ conventional 190C/gas 5. To make the rarebit sauce, melt the butter in a heavybased saucepan and stir in the flour and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the milk until combined. Return to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring or whisking constantly. Simmer for 2 minutes then mix in the grated cheese and mustard, season well with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. For the fish, melt a third of the butter in a large non-stick frying pan, add the garlic and cook until just coloured. Immediately add the tomatoes and toss them with the garlic butter, cooking just enough to heat through. Tip the mixture into the base of a shallow baking dish (a rectangular 28 x 22cm dish is ideal), and spread in an even layer. Melt half the remaining butter in the frying pan and add some of the spinach, cook over a high heat until wilted then tip into a colander. Repeat with the remaining butter and spinach, then press the spinach to drain off any excess liquid, season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg and arrange to cover the tomato layer. Then cover with the fish fillets.
  3. Heat the rarebit sauce and spoon evenly over the fish, spreading it with the back of a spoon so the fish is completely covered, then sprinkle over the grated cheese. (The dish may now be frozen for up to 1 month. To cook, defrost in the microwave or overnight in the fridge and continue as stated adding an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time.) Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling and the fish is cooked through (check by pushing a knife into the fish - the flesh should flake easily). You may like to finish off the rarebit under the grill to brown the top more. Serve straight from the dish.

Per serving

645 kcalories, protein 49g, carbohydrate 25g, fat 40 g, saturated fat 23g, fibre 6g, salt 4.99 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2004.

Try 3 issues of Good Food magazine for £3 - subscribe now!

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Ben

    16 December 2007

    Ben rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Quite rich, but very very tasty. Recommended!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Annie

    11 February 2008

    Annie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I think this is going to go down as one of my all time favourite meals. Absolutely yummy.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Kate

    14 February 2008

    Kate rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely delicious.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo irene

    24 February 2008

    irene rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for a dinner party last night and it was delicious. All my friends plates were clean. I had quite a lot of sauce left and I have frozen it to use another time when I am on my own.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo darling

    30 March 2008

    darling rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    fabulous: quick, easy, considerably cheap and no moaning kids!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Laure

    30 March 2008

    Laure rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    My hubby cooked last night and really impressed me with this!! Very tasty. Lots of sauce left but better than too dry! I love the spinach in it!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo penelopeann

    06 April 2008

    penelopeann commented on this recipe

    I've made this many times and it's always very well received!!!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Sarge

    30 April 2008

    Sarge rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Used some shredded kale and frozen spinach instead of fresh, it was delicious - even my 2yr old approved!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Paula

    03 May 2008

    Paula rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely gorgeous! All the family loved it, my ten year old daughter said it was the best fish dish that i have made. After reading other comments i reduced the amount of sauce slightly, and there was plenty. Looks like it will become a family favourite.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo RachelSC

    05 May 2008

    RachelSC rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    A delicious recipe, but I found it rather greasy and there was far too much sauce..

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo recipes

    31 July 2008

    recipes rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really good - used unsmoked cod. The spinach worked so well with the cheese sauce

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo triciathomas

    03 November 2008

    triciathomas commented on this recipe

    This dish really is lovely, the whole family enjoyed it. I also used frozen spinach as I find it more economical. This recipe also works really well with chicken breasts. Fab!!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo alethea

    25 July 2009

    alethea commented on this recipe

    I did this and par-boiled some potatoes and sliced quite thinly... then arranged them on the base of the dish layering the tomatoes and then the spinach and finsihing with fish and the sauce...

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Lu_C

    25 August 2009

    Lu_C rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Exquisite! Served with rice as I had no potatoes in.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo sausage21

    08 September 2009

    sausage21 commented on this recipe

    make this its just so tasty !

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Suzi

    15 September 2009

    Suzi rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yum! Easy to make & I can see why others have made for guests as is looks good when it comes out of the oven. It does make a generous amount of sauce but I say you can't have too much of a good thing. I served with plain, new potatoes which went well with the richness of the dish. Will definitely be making again.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo penguin

    14 May 2010

    penguin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was so tasty and had such memorable flavours! I used smoked undyed haddock - I thought of using normal fillets but I'm glad I used smoked fish as it complements the strong cheese sauce so well. I added a dash of olive oil to the cheese sauce, left out the Worcester and added some black pepper. I also used courgettes instead of spinach. After cooking the tomatoes in garlic butter and tipping them in the dish, I sliced and fried courgettes for a few minutes in the same pan, then added them to the dish. They cooked perfectly! I served with baby new potatoes.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Katiekoo

    27 May 2010

    Katiekoo rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Kedgeree

    13 August 2010

    Kedgeree rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this recipe last week using unsmoked white fish since we can’t any here in Germany. I also used frozen spinach. It was delicious and just right for the autumnal weather we are having in early August.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Lozzers

    20 August 2010

    Lozzers rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yummy, did as previous suggestion and layered parboiled potatoes on the bottom - there was a lot of sauce but I had short cut the spinach stage a little as I prefer it not too cooked so this may be the reason why. Next time I am going to try and cut the cals a bit by omitting the cheese in the sauce and just sprinking it on top mixed with bread crumbs as I am not convinced it was necessary in the sauce which was tasty anyway due to the mustard and worcester sauce. Will definitely cook again, simple, great to prepare ahead and another way of getting fish into my reluctant husband

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Leave a comment or suggestion

You must sign in or register to leave a comment.

Sign in / Register

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 4 - 6

Preparation and cooking times

Total time

Ready in 1¼ hours

Freezable

Great family dish

Ingredients

FOR THE RAREBIT SAUCE

  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • a dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • 600ml milk
  • 100g strong cheddar , coarsely grated
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

FOR THE FISH

  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 1 garlic clove , crushed
  • 550g cherry tomatoes , halved
  • 900g fresh spinach untrimmed, or 700g/1lb 9oz prepared, washed if necessary
  • pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 550g undyed smoked haddock or cod fillets, skinned and checked for bones
  • 50g cheddar , coarsely grated
Print this recipe
Add to your binder

Per serving

645 kcalories, protein 49g, carbohydrate 25g, fat 40 g, saturated fat 23g, fibre 6g, salt 4.99 g

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

  • You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
  • You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.

Follow Good Food

Advertisement

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy 100+ triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Order today, save up to 25%

On TV

Foodie TV

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 249, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Good Food Apps

Good Food Apps

For Good Food on the go, download our apps to your phone or portable device.
Find out more here