Smoked Herring with a poached egg and Colcannon

I always like to work with local artisan producers so it will come as no surprise that I decided to launch my own range of smoked fish with Chesil Smokery based in Bridport. Chesil Smokery is a great local smokery with their own trout farm. I have known Mark Firth, the owner, for many years and have always enjoyed eating their products, so it seemed a natural fit to start my smoked fish range with him and his team. This is classic comfort food that you can serve for brunch or dinner. Some people get champ and colcannon mixed up but basically champ is just spring onions or scallions as the Irish call them and colcannon is cabbage and spring onions.

MARK HIX

INGREDIENTS

• About 400ml milk, for poaching • 200ml fish stock (a good quality cube will do) • 1 bay leaf • 4 smoked herring fillets • 4 eggs • Knob of butter

For the colcannon • A few leaves of spring greens or cabbage, roughly chopped, cooked in boiling salted water and drained • 6 spring onions green parts too, shredded • 100ml milk • 400g floury potatoes, cooked and mashed • 40g butter, or more if necessary

Serves 4

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the colcannon, bring the milk to the boil, add the spring onions and simmer for 1 minute, then mix with the mashed potato, greens and butter and season. Keep warm in a covered pan or let it cool down and reheat when needed. 2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 5 place the herring in an oven proof dish or pan with a knob of butter on top and cook for about 10 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile poach the eggs until just set but still soft inside when the herring is almost done. 3. Spoon the colcannon on to warmed plates and carefully place the herring fillets on top. Drain the eggs with a slotted spoon and rest them on the fish and serve.