Friday Fishy Stack

Simple and healthy (mostly, I think)

Growing up as a Catholic, there was always fish on a Friday. I have absolutely no idea why. Anyway, I thought we’d have a fishy dishy this week. This one is a simple combination and assembly job, with minimal work, as you don’t even have to make your own fishcakes unless you want to.

From bottom to top of the stack this is…

Creamed spinach. Cook some fresh spinach (or use frozen), add cream and some nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can also add green herbs to increase the flavour if you fancy. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice for flavour and also because it thickens the cream slightly. Blend with a stick blender. As an alternative I reckon you could make a Hollandaise sauce but whenever I have tried this it has required seemingly super-human effort, always gone wrong, and ended up in the bin, so I’ve given up. If anyone has an idiot-proof recipe and method for Hollandaise, please let me know!

Fishcake. To make your own…boil and mash some fluffy style potatoes and leave to cool. Flake cooked fish of your choice (I go salmon or smoked haddock) into a bowl and combine with the mash. Season generously with salt and pepper and add finely chopped fresh herbs, depending on your fish type so maybe chives with haddock, or dill with salmon. You can also add chopped capers and/or finely chopped fried onion, or spring onion for a bit more punch. Shape into patties. Dip in beaten egg, then into panko breadcrumbs. You can experiment with adding things to your breadcrumbs too for a bit of extra flavour or texture - like a few oats, seeds or finely chopped nuts. Shallow fry.

This week’s hectic, so full disclosure, I went absolute minimal effort - Tesco Finest - super tasty, fabulous crumb and decent fish content, various flavours available.

Hash Brown. As far as I am concerned if you have a stack of anything, it will always be improved by the addition of a hash brown. Possibly two or three. Frozen supermarket stuff, so dead easy to have on hand and sling into the oven.

Fried Egg. Adds some extra protein and if you leave the yolk nice and runny it also gives a lovely richness to the overall dish.

Top with a sprinkling of finely chopped fresh herbs, as it never ceases to amaze me what a sprinkle of fresh chives can do to “uplift” your dish. If only uplifting your aging skin or body was as simple :) Why are there no emojis in Substack?

Interestingly my beverage of choice with this dish is a cup of tea. Judge away people!