I have just finished filming my third series of the Seafood Trails for RTÉ and kindly sponsored by Bord Bia. It is so inspiring to see how hard people work in all aspects of this industry. I have loved meeting them while making these programmes.

In the restaurant we definitely notice more fish being eaten over the years. For us the same is true at home. We don’t have a local fishmonger in Blacklion so I have ordered from Stefan, who is a bit of a genius, at eatmorefish.ie. The value and quality is superb and they will fillet, pin bone and send to anywhere in Ireland. Well worth a look.

Hake is very plentiful in Ireland. On my travels I found that it is highly prized in Spain. This recipe also works with haddock or whiting and I have plenty of fish recipes on my social media that you might like to try.

Bread-crust fish is hard to beat and the horseradish is a bit of a twist. If you don’t like horseradish you could use an egg. The lemon cream sauce is a lovely with any white fish.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Neven Maguire’s Midweek Meals is out now, published by Gill

Recipes

Roasted hake with cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. \ Photography: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Janine Kennedy

Roasted hake with cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella

Serves four

4 x 175g (6oz) hake fillets, skin on and pin bones removed

12 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

small handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

125g (4 ½oz) ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced

2 tbsp basil pesto (shop-bought or homemade)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lightly dressed green salad, to serve

buttered baby boiled potatoes tossed in snipped fresh chives, to serve

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).
  • 2 Place the hake on a baking sheet, skin side down, and season the flesh. Arrange the tomato slices on top and tuck in the basil leaves.
  • 3 Cover with the mozzarella and drizzle over the pesto.
  • 4 Place the hake in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the hake is cooked through and the mozzarella is bubbling and lightly golden.
  • 5 Transfer the hake with cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella to warmed plates and have bowls of green salad and buttered boiled baby potatoes to hand around separately.

    • Baked fish fillets with horseradish crust and lemon cream sauce

    Serves four

    50g (2oz) plain flour

    4 x 175g (6oz) firm fish fillets, such as salmon, hake, cod or haddock, skinned and boned

    2 tbsp creamed horseradish (from a jar)

    1 egg yolk

    100g (4oz) coarse breadcrumbs

    1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

    For the lemon cream sauce:

    225ml (8fl oz) cream

    1 tsp Dijon mustard

    1 tsp prepared English mustard

    1 tsp creamed horseradish (from a jar)

    finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon

    1 tbsp snipped fresh chives

    For the wilted spinach:

    75g (3oz) butter

    450g (1lb) spinach, tough stalks removed

    pinch of sugar

    sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Line a sturdy baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • 2 Season the flour in a shallow bowl and use to lightly dust the fish fillets.
  • 3 To make the crust, mix together the horseradish and egg yolk, then spread on top of each fish fillet, making sure each one is well coated right to the edges. Mix together the breadcrumbs and parsley and then press them on each coated piece of fish. Shape the crust by pressing on this mixture gently but firmly with your hands. Arrange the crusted fish fillets on the lined baking sheet.
  • 4 Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the fish fillets are just cooked through and tender and the crusts are nice and crisp.
  • 5 Meanwhile, make the lemon cream sauce. Place the cream in a small pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 12 minutes, until well reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the two mustards, horseradish and the lemon rind and juice and season to taste. Stir in the chives and keep warm.
  • 6 To prepare the wilted spinach, heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the butter. Once it has stopped foaming, quickly sauté the spinach with a pinch of sugar until soft and wilted. Season to taste and drain well on kitchen paper to remove the excess moisture.
  • 7 To serve, divide the spinach among four warmed plates. Place a piece of fish alongside and drizzle around the lemon cream sauce.