Fish

At long last in Ireland we’re beginning to realise that fish is not a penance. Quite the opposite! Fresh fish, well cooked, is one of the greatest gastronomic pleasures, and we’re lucky on this island to have it all around us. Fish is also wonderfully healthy—regarded as ‘brain food’ by some people, and ‘heart food’ by others with an interest in keeping cholesterol levels down. Isn’t it splendid that something which tastes so good does us good at the same time?

I include in this section Hake in Buttered Crumbs for two reasons. The first is that it is one of those terrific dishes which never fails to please adults and children alike (even fish haters!). The second is that this is a master recipe which can be used for any round fish—cod, haddock, pollock, ling or grey sea mullet. This section also includes the basic technique for making Béchamel Sauce—useful on its own or with many different flavourings (for example, cheese, as in Mornay Sauce), and indispensable for making fish pies. The beauty of Béchamel is that anything coated in it can be reheated perfectly. This is not the case, alas, with grander sauces such as Hollandaise.