Samphire

Another trip to the tip to consign some more junk to oblivion meant that I was later than usual with my shopping on Saturday morning. By the time I reached the fishmonger, the choice was limited. But what he did have was some vivid green samphire, which really cheered up my morning. I love the salty crunchiness of this strange, almost prehistoric half vegetable / half seaweed and always buy some when it is on sale.

So that decision was easy, but what to have with it?
All the interesting choices had gone by the time I arrived. There were plenty of salmon fillets and farmed rainbow trout, but they didn't appeal. In the end I opted for a piece of worthy-looking, but rather dull naturally-smoked haddock.

If R were still here, he would automatically have demanded kedgeree. Specifically the Delia Smith recipe - still my favourite version of the dish, although my own rendering looks a lot greener from the excess of parsley I always add.

As it is technically impossible to make a worthwhile kedgeree for one, and I didn't fancy eating it for the next few days, I opted for my second favourite thing to do with a piece of smoked haddock - fishcakes. There is nothing at all sophisticated about a fishcake, but I find them very comforting; it must be the nursery food nature of the beast. There was also some leftover mashed potato in the fridge that needed using up.

The haddock was gently poached in a mixture of milk and water, boosted with a little onion, a few peppercorns and a couple of bayleaves. Had there been no leftover potato in the fridge, then this poaching water would have served nicely for mashing some spuds. As I had no need for it, the dog happily obliged.

I then mixed the flaked haddock (Moose had the skin as well) with the mashed potato, added a couple of finely chopped spring onions and a few snipped chives, plus salt and pepper. It is a good idea not to break up the flakes too much so that the cakes retain a bit of texture. Then I shaped them into little patties. I was intending to dip the patties in egg and then breadcrumbs, but my recent minimal bread intake meant that there were no crumbs in the freezer. So, the patties had to be satisfied with being coated in seasoned flour.

While they were frying in a little sunflower oil, I washed the samphire and braised it quickly in nothing more than a little butter and the water clinging to it. That's all it needs - its natural saltiness means that nothing else is required apart from a little ground pepper.

There are lots of other things I could have served this with, but for once I didn't fancy a salad. A few capers sprinkled on top added a little sharpness, and that was it.
Not even any ketchup!