Smoked Haddock, Dulse, and Watercress Soup
Here we treat you to a sample recipe from a wonderful book The Forager's Kitchen by Fiona Bird an excellent source of information for the forager of natural foods. Its Chapter 5, Sea and Shore, had some quality seaweed recipes including this one below which is really easy to prepare.
Recipe
In spring, this substantial soup can be made with foraged watercress. It is
warming on a cold spring day, when wild watercress is growing but an icy
wind is blowing. Purists will use undyed haddock, but I love the dyed yellow
color contrast with the vibrant wild green of the watercress and cooked dulse. Serves 4.
What to forage and find
- A 0.25 (quarter) stick (30g) butter
- 1 tablespoon canola (rapeseed) oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 9 oz (250g) potatoes,
peeled and diced small - 1 tablespoon roughly
chopped dried dulse - 1 tablespoon steel-cut
oats (pinhead oatmeal) - 2 generous cups
(500ml) milk - 7oz (200g) smoked
haddock fillet - About 1.25 cups (300ml)
water
* 2 tablespoons roughly chopped watercress
What to do
1. Over low heat, melt the butter and
oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, and cook briefly, then add the diced potatoes, dried dulse, and oats. Stir well to coat the potatoes in oil, cover, and simmer over very low heat for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally, to check that the potatoes aren’t sticking to the pan. Add a little milk if necessary.
2. Add the milk and the haddock, skinside up. Cover and continue cooking over
low heat.
3. After about 4–5 minutes (when the fish has poached) lift the haddock out of the liquid with a fish slice and remove the skin. Gently flake the fish, keeping the chunks as large as possible, and return them to the pan. Add the water and watercress, and continue to cook for 2–3 minutes. Use a knife to ensure that the potato is cooked, and serve immediately.
Wild Notes
Scatter a pinch of finely ground dried sea lettuce over before serving, or use wild garlic or Seaweed Butter
How Do I Get Dulse?
- You can buy dulse from Ireland here.
- Amazon also sell dulse from Maine and elsewhere.
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