Baked Haddock in Greens with Anchovy “Butter”

You should never leave stuff in the hands of a creative person. I mean, don’t say to them “just mind that Magnox reactor for us, see its safe”, or “don’t press that red button whilst I’m away”. That’s how accidents happen. But also, occasionally, good things. This is a  recipe I came up with after changing another internet recipe I’d found totally beyond recognition. I cant even remember where I found the original. There certainly wasn’t a haddock in sight. I know it had anchovy and unsalted butter in it, but mine has got “butter” in it. In this case that means a 50:50 mixture of ghee and coconut oil. Of course you can go back to plain old unsalted butter after you’ve tried this, but quite honestly, what would you do with the other half of the butter packet? I mean, sprinkling salt on toast just isn’t right. Its positively delinquent. So give this unlikely mix of flavours a go and see what you think.

The recipe is quite flexible, I’ve found. You can take the asparagus and green beans mixture and use it with anything, ranging from toast, to omelette, to dahl. In this recipe it finds itself on top of haddock and roast peppers with mushroom.

1 lb green beans 1 lb asparagus tips Any greens will do, such as pak choi, cabbage, lettuce leaves, etc.	Steam the greens for 20- 30 minutes and take off the heat. Prepare the other ingredients whilst waiting.
4 haddock fillets half punnet Mushrooms 2 sliced peppers	Prep these ingredients and set to one side ready to receive the greens as garnish.
2 Tbsp coconut oil 2 Tbsp ghee	Put on a medium heat in a large pan, sufficient to melt the oils.
1/8 tsp ginger powder 1/8 tsp turmeric powder ¼ tsp garam masala 1/8 tsp fennel seeds 1/8 tsp kolonji seeds ¼ tsp mustard seeds 2 minced gloves garlic	Add in the spices, stirring quickly.
½ cup fresh orange juice 1 Tbsp lemon/ lime juice ½ tsp anchovy paste	Before the spices stick to the bottom of the pan, or burn, add the fluids and the steamed vegetables.
6 tinned oil packed fillets with oil discarded	Add in the anchovies. Allow to cook thoroughly through for 5- 10 minutes, stirring frequently. By that point the dish should have sufficient body but not be too runny.
	Cover the haddock & vegetables. Oven bake for 20- 30 minutes until the fish is cooked through & flakes succulently.
Mixed Seeds Olive oil	Use seeds and oil as a dressing. Whole thing goes well with potatoes. Serves 4

North Utsire