Fishy thoughts

I've been busy this morning preparing a Finnan Pie for this evening.

In some ways I'm bemused to find myself doing this.

When I was very young, my Gran lived with us - she died when I was 7. She loved smoked haddock. Every week, or so it seemed, she would get some smoked haddock to poach for tea. Every week, or so it seemed, the house was filled with the, to me, awful smell of this poaching haddock. The smell pervaded every room, even upstairs. There was no getting away from it. I hated it. The smell was sufficient to put me off tasting it. I could think of nothing more abhorrent.

As I grew older, my tastes changed. I grew more adventurous. Even so, I still resisted smoked haddock. I just shuddered at the very thought.

Then I met the Fox. He had very different associations with smoked haddock - a holiday high tea treat for him, something never had at home. One day, when we were engaged, I decided to cook a meal for him, something that would be a bit of a treat. We'd already bought our first joint cookery book by then. He fancied trying a Kedgeree, made traditionally with smoked haddock. Nervously I had a go. I knew by then it was a long time since I'd last eaten smoked haddock & I also knew my tastes had changed. I'd also discovered ingredients can taste quite differently depending upon how they are cooked. The kedgeree was made & I dug in. I couldn't believe it. I enjoyed it. I've never looked back since.

I even have a fond memory of a delicious smoked haddock meal in a pub on the Royal Mile we dined out in one year when holidaying in Edinburgh with a friend. These days smoked haddock is something I'm always tempted by if I see it on a menu. So it I'm looking forward to having again this Finnan Pie. Admittedly the smoked haddock I'm used was from our local smokehouse, not Loch Fyne but I'm confident it will be good.

What I still can't understand is how my childhood home had ended up reeking of fish. I only poach smoked haddock for about 5 minutes &  I'm not particularly aware of the smell, even in the kitchen. When my Gran cooked it, it seemed to take much longer. But then those were the days when everything was cooked almost to extinction & maybe that's why the smell was so bad. Whatever the reason, these days I love my smoked haddock & I'm very grateful to the Fox for re-introducing me to it.