A new classic

I bumped into my friend Dominique at the fish stall at Friday’s market. I’d just bought some asparagus and asked her what fish she would serve with it. She suggested a fish terrine using Églefin. She explained briefly how to make it, using a cream and egg mix to bind it together, and including herbs, spinach, and carrots to help add to the taste and look. I was quite inspired by her loose description, I thought this could be an easily adapted dish to serve to our guests using seasonal fish found at the market. Interestingly, Églefin is ordinary haddock, whereas the fish they call Haddock is in fact smoked Haddock. I bought the Églefin and some smoked trout, to add some richness to the flavour, then headed off in search of some spinach.

Making the terrine was really quite easy. Firstly I asked Brian to line the tin. He lightly buttered it, then used slices of smoked trout to cover the inside. We cut the other fish into 1” squares. I had a bit of salmon in the freezer, so I used that as well, mixed with 3 eggs, a tub of crème fraîche and a blend of herbs. I washed and chopped the spinach and mixed everything together.

I then carefully spooned it into the mould, and cooked it using a bain marie in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Whilst it was cooking I arranged some peonies my friend had given me from her garden, she was going to be away so suggested I should enjoy them. They are stunning.

After cooking, the terrine came out of the tin really easily. I had let it rest for a good 30 minutes before tipping it out. It looked delicious served with the asparagus, and tasted just as good.