A suggestion for Kippers

Writing this in front of this week's episode of Masterchef, displaying an unwavering parade of sugary desserts, I am reminded of how my savoury tastes are so much stronger than any sweet tooth I have.

And that's largely down to fish.

As much as I love, unoriginally, fried cod or plaice, I adore the more maligned but much more salubrious oily fishes- especially the ones that are so unfashionable you can pick them up wrapped in their smelly blanket of clingfilm for less than a pound. Today, that fish is kippers. 

After I picked them up very cheaply from a supermarket shelf and stashed them into the icy depths of my freezer, I researched using solely the masterpiece of Jane Grigson's English Food what to do with them. She suggested either piling them on to toast after cooking them or making a fish paste. Both options sound divine but the former is a little too austere and the latter a little too old fashioned, so I combined the two, and should you do the same this is how it should be undertaken.

Take 75g of really, really good and soft unsalted butter and mix in some salt and pepper, a good tsp of mace and as much fire of chilli powder or cayenne that you want. These are the seasonings Grigson suggests for kipper paste. When well combined, you can either just leave the butter to spread normally onto some toast or go the retro mile and splatter it onto a large piece of cling film, wrap it up like a sausage, and roll it gently and lightly into a rough cylinder. Chill in the freezer for a few minutes after which it will have firmed up and you can shape it into a tighter roll, then place it back in the freezer so it's really solid.

Take two raw and prepared  (gutted and without a backbone) kippers; smoked and the colour of cornflakes, or unsmoked are fine, although I don't think you'll come across a kipper that hasn't been smoked nowadays. Place them in a large Pyrex jug or roasting tin and cover with recently boiled water and cover with a plate or even a lid should your chosen vessel come with one. Leave this for 10 minutes, by which time the fish will be melting and unctuous. This cooking method will also work with many oily fish, bar salmon, such as mackerel and pilchards. 

While that steeps lightly, dress a green salad with balsamic based dressing, unwrap the chilled butter and slice into rounds and warm up some plates- I tend to do this under the grill on a low heat. This is so that the icy butter will soften on the plate before you try and spread it on your toast. We all know that it is soul destroying trying to spread hard butter on soft toast. 

When the fish is done, take the skin off which is easier than you can imagine thanks to this gentle cooking, and flake into rough chunks onto a plate. Any sizable bones can be taken out, but don't lose sleep over tiny ones still left in the flesh. Spritz over some fresh lemon juice and scrunch over some salt and pepper, but only very lightly- you need to taste the fish over anything else. To serve, spread the butter over some wholemeal toast or good crusty bread, and mulch over some fish. Have the optional addition of the the green salad on the side.