Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg and Wilted Spinach

Ingredients

• 🐟Smoked Haddock, skinless if possible1 fillet
• 🥚Large Eggs, fresh2 egg
• 🥬Baby Spinach90 g
• 🧈Unsalted Butter15 g
• 🍋Lemon, for serving1 wedge
• 🧂Black Pepper (ground)to taste
• 💧Water, for poachingas needed

Contains Dairy, Eggs, Fish. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Warm the water

   Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until the surface trembles and small bubbles rise from the base without a rolling boil. If it starts boiling hard, lower the heat so the whites can set cleanly instead of shredding apart.

   4 min
2. 2

   Prepare the spinach

   Pick through the Baby Spinach and tear away any thick stems with your fingers over a chopping board, then leave the leaves loose so they collapse evenly in the heat. Do this for about 1 minute until the pile looks airy and ready to fall; if any leaves are clumped or gritty, separate them now so they wilt cleanly later.

   1 min
3. 3

   Trim the haddock

   Pat the Smoked Haddock dry with paper towel and check for any pin bones, lifting them out with your fingers if you find them. Give it about 1 minute until the surface feels dry rather than damp; a dry fillet heats more evenly and won’t water down the butter later.

   1 min
4. 4

   Poach the eggs

   Crack the Large Eggs into two small bowls, then slide them one at a time into the barely simmering water in the small saucepan, keeping the bowls close to the surface so the whites stay compact. Poach them for about 3 minutes until the whites look set and opaque with a tender wobble around the yolks; if the water starts surging, lift the small saucepan off the heat for a moment and settle it back down.

   3 min
5. 5

   Wilt the spinach

   Set a large frying pan over medium heat and melt the Unsalted Butter until it foams and smells nutty but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the Baby Spinach and toss it with tongs for about 1 minute until the leaves collapse into dark glossy ribbons; if the pan looks crowded, lift the leaves and turn them so they all meet the hot base instead of steaming in a wet heap.

   2 min
6. 6

   Warm the haddock

   Lay the Smoked Haddock over the wilted spinach in the large frying pan, cover it loosely with a lid or a sheet of foil, and warm it over low heat for about 2 minutes until the fish turns opaque at the edges and flakes lightly when pressed. Keep the heat gentle so the smoked fish stays silky; if it starts to split hard or look dry on top, it is getting too hot.

   2 min
7. 7

   Plate and finish

   Lift the poached eggs out with a slotted spoon and drain them briefly on paper towel, then slide the spinach and haddock onto a plate and set the eggs on top. Finish with the Lemon wedge and a good grind of Black Pepper over the fish, then serve at once while the yolks are still soft and the spinach is glossy; if the eggs sit too long, the yolks thicken and lose that runny finish.

   2 min

Nutrition per serving