Cozy Autumn Fish Recipes with Lilly Higgins

Just because you loved Lilly Higgins’ recipes so much for Foodie Friday last week, we’re back with more of her favourites to keep you inspired in the kitchen.

When it comes to comforting food with plenty of flavour, few do it better than Cobh-born cook, food writer, teacher and busy mum, Lilly Higgins. After training at Ballymaloe Cookery School and publishing her bestselling books, she’s continued to inspire home cooks with her warm, practical approach to family meals. Through her popular Instagram account, she shares over 60 dinner recipes, earning her a loyal and ever-growing following.

As the autumn evenings draw in, we’re diving into a few more of Lilly’s go-to recipes that strike the perfect balance between hearty and delicious. Last week we brought you rich beef stroganoff, fragrant lamb keema, and the now-famous “marry me chicken.”

This week, we’re heading to the sea with Lilly’s sensational fish stew bursting with flavour and comfort in every spoonful  and her creamy haddock gratin, a dish that proves simple ingredients can create something truly special.

Whether you’re cooking for family, friends, or just treating yourself, these recipes are guaranteed to warm you up from the inside out.

Portuguese Fish Stew

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

½ yellow pepper

½ fennel bulb, finely chopped

2 large carrots, finely diced

1 tsp. Fennel seeds, crushed

Sea salt

100ml wine (red or white)

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

500ml stock

4 x rooster potatoes, in 1” cubes

2 tbsp fresh parsley

4 tbsp flour

4 fillets white fish (hake, pollock or cod)

To serve: lemon wedges and crusty white bread

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pan. Saute the onion till soft. Add the yellow pepper, fennel and carrot. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.

Add the crushed fennel seed and stir. Cook for a minute till fragrant before adding the wine. Leave the sauce simmer and the alcohol burn off before adding the stock and chopped tomatoes.

Season to taste. Add the cubed potatoes. Simmer gently till the potatoes are just about cooked. Lower the heat.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide frying pan.

Dust the fish fillets in a little flour and fry for a minute or two on each side. Stir the parsley gently into the fish stew then lay the lightly fried fish on top. Place the lid back on and leave it simmer for a further five minutes till the fish is cooked.

Ladle into bowls and top with pieces of flaked fish, fresh parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Serve with crusty bread.

Smoked Haddock Gratin

Serves 6

Ingredients:

900g potatoes

1 tsp butter

600g smoked haddock

2 tbsp parsley

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 tsp dijon mustard

300ml cream

100ml milk

Salt & black pepper

100g grated white mature cheddar

Method:

Scrub the potatoes clean. I never peel them as there’s so much goodness in the peels but do as you prefer. Parboil them till almost cooked but still a little firm. You need to be able to slice them thickly so they need to remain a little undercooked. Drain and set aside.

Rub 1 tsp butter around the inside of an ovenproof dish.

Cut the haddock into cubes and place in the base of the dish, scatter with parsley and the finely sliced spring onion.

Season withs alt and pepper. Heat the milk, cream and dijon in a pan till warm, whisk to combine. Pour half this mix over the fish.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them thickly. Arrange the potato slices over the fish and pour over the remaining cream mix. Season with a little salt.

Scatter with the cheese and bake in a hot oven, 220C for 20 minutes till golden, bubbling and cooked through. Serve with salad or greens like broccoli or spinach.

Follow @lilly_higgins_ over on Instagram for more recipes inso!