March 5, 2014– Smoked fish happens to be one of my favorite “cheating” ingredients. Like bacon, it is a single ingredient that adds outsized oomph to any dish.
With St. Patrick’s Day nearly upon us, our minds often turn to corned beef and cabbage. This recipe was inspired by that tradition, but swaps out the corned beef in favor of smoked fish (also incredibly popular in Ireland) in a richly satisfying savory broth.
Smoked fish happens to be one of my favorite “cheating” ingredients. Like bacon, it is a single ingredient that adds outsized oomph to any dish. Unlike bacon, smoked fish has no saturated fat. Add even a little bit of it and suddenly the dish becomes the essence of comfort food and your guests think you’re a culinary genius.
In Ireland, they like to smoke mackerel, whitefish, salmon and haddock. Smoked haddock actually originates in Scotland, not Ireland, but the Irish have pulled it into the family circle. Me, too. As the child of New Englanders, I grew up with it, which is probably why it’s my favorite smoked fish. Here in Gloucester, Sasquatch Smokehouse smokes fish on Whittemore Street.
The cabbage of choice here is either Napa or savoy. Both are relatively light with a delicate texture. Of course, regular green cabbage also works, as will red cabbage (assuming you don’t mind a pink soup), but you want to be careful not to overcook whichever cabbage is in the pot. Otherwise, things tend to get very funky very quickly.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times