Recipe: Haddock and Clams with Cider

Recipe Source: Goldstein, Joyce.  Savoring Spain & Portugal.  Oxmoor House, Menlo Park, 2000 p. 145

This is the fish recipe I made for the impromptu dinner party I mentioned yesterday.  What attracted me to the recipe was really the apples and the cider.  I've rambled on at length about my love of apples, which becomes particularly pronounced in the fall. The recipe called for hard cider.  I had some hard cider on hand, commercial stuff, but that's not the best kind of cider.  The best kind of cider is the kind that you leave in the back hallway for a while, until it just starts to carbonate.  There isn't a whole lot of alcohol in that kind of cider - you'd have to drink enough of it to cause water intoxication before you could get drunk off it - but it has just the right amount of kick and flavor to liven things up a little.  (Thank you, Dad, for that.)  As it happened, I had some slightly elderly cider of exactly the right kind on hand, and I had exactly enough for the recipe and not a drop more. 

I made a couple of other changes to the recipe.  I used a few more tomatoes than the original called for, because I had them on hand and they're good for you.  I omitted the chile, since one of our guests considers black pepper to be dangerously spicy.  Instead of hake, I used haddock.  I also increased the garlic and reduced the oil, but you probably guessed that already. 

Haddock and Clams with Cider (serves 4; approx. $4.92/serving)

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, crushed

4 ounces flour

5 tomatoes, chopped

2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup apple cider - slightly hardened, for preference

2 large boiling potatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 1/2 lb haddock, cut into 4 equal pieces

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 lb littleneck clams, scrubbed

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Equipment:

• Large saute pan
• Oven-proof serving dish (I used the bottom of a tagine)
• Large saucepan
• Plate
• Blender

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the large saute pan over medium heat. 
2. Add the onions and garlic.  Saute until the onion is tender.
3. Add the tomatoes, apples and cider.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the apples are soft.
4. Remove from heat and puree in the blender until smooth.  Set aside.
5. Preheat your oven to 450.
6. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil.
7. Add the potato slices and boil until half cooked.  They should still stick slightly to a fork when tested, but only slightly.  Drain and set aside.
8. Spread the flour on the plate and mix with salt and pepper to taste. 
9. Dredge the haddock pieces in the flour.
10. Heat the remaining oil in the saute pan over high heat. 
11. Fry the fish until lightly browned, turning once.  Evacuate to a plate and set aside.
12. In the same pan, fry the potatoes until golden on both sides. 
13. Transfer the potatoes to the oven-proof serving dish.  Add the clams, fried fish and the sauce from the blender. 
14. Cook 15 minutes in the oven. 
15. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 

Comments

[Natasha - 5 Star Foodie]

The seafood sounds just wonderful with the addition of apple cider, great flavors!

[Joanne]

I actually adore apples. I think I ate one almost every day last year. Each one just tastes so good!

It is interesting that you combined cider with all of these other flavors. Great idea for a stew!