Makes about 40
Arbroath Smokies are wood-smoked haddock, which are traditionally produced in the east coast fishing town of Arbroath in Scotland and provide a creamy, luscious savoury flavour.
If Arbroath Smokies cannot be found, any cooked smoked haddock can be used instead. Accompanied with Cathedral City Mature and homemade oatcakes, these canapés are a perfect, extra special treat for your guests at Christmas.
For the oatcakes:
- 70g butter
- 70g flour
- 140g oatmeal
- 140ml water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Handful of rolled oats and extra oatmeal for rolling
For the smokie mix:
- 400g cooked smoked haddock
- 225ml milk
- 50g butter
- 50g plain flour
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 100g grated Cathedral City Mature
- Bunch of chopped chives
Method:
- To make the oatcakes, sift the flour, salt and 1tsp of baking powder into a bowl, mix in the oatmeal and then rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the water, mix to a soft dough, then roll out onto a surface sprinkled with oatmeal and rolled oats to a thickness of about ½ a centimetre.
- Cut into 50 pence piece sized circles and bake at 180ºC / fan 160ºC / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4 for about 20 minutes or until golden.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the topping:
- Flake 400g cooked smoked haddock into a bowl and season well with pepper.
- If cooking the haddock from fresh, use 450ml milk.
- This is in addition to the 225ml milk you need for the béchamel.
- Set a pan on a low heat and make a thick béchamel sauce using 50g butter and 50g flour to make a roux then slowly add 225ml milk with a bay leaf and a good pinch of nutmeg.
- Let it cook gently for about 10 minutes, take out the bay leaf, then add 100g grated Cathedral City Mature, stir well and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Pour into the bowl with the fish, mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Stir in some chopped chives and put in the fridge to firm a little.
- When ready to serve, spoon a little of the mix onto the oatcakes and twist some black pepper over with a sprinkle of chives.
Recipe and photo credits- Cathedral City
