Here is an oven baked haddock recipe wrapped in a slice of cured ham, served over a creamy watercress mash… Epic combination!
I remember it like it was just yesterday.
This baked haddock recipe was my very recipe post ever!
Believe it or not. Back in those days then (must have been 8 years ago when I started food blogging) I was a total newbie when it came to food styling or photography.
Food Blogging
I would snap a picture of my finished plate under the yellow kitchen lights.
Something even a good white balance adjuster can’t repair! Step by step preparation pictures would only come later.
I am also not sure what camera I was using back then. A plain and simple Pentax I guess. But not only all that has changed though.
Even my food knowledge has expanded enormously!
This is what my first picture looked like:
Baked Haddock Recipe in the Oven Wrapped in Ham
I have been on a recipe rollercoaster since then.
I took care of my little blog as it were a baby. How proud I was to publish my recipe ideas and little by little get in contact with other food bloggers. Some of them have become real good friends over the years.
But back to our baked haddock recipe here below: I wrapped the fish in some cured parma ham, both for flavor and presentation. Served it with a scoop of buttery spring onion and watercress mash: you can also find that recipe below!
I hope you like it…
Enjoy!
Easy Ham Wrapped Baked Haddock Recipe
- 4 fresh haddock fillets
- 4 large slices Parma ham thinly sliced
- good quality olive oil
- fresh watercress for garnish
- pepper
- salt
- Place the haddock fillets on a clean plate or chopping board and sprinkle them on both sides with a little pinch of pepper and salt.
- Sprinkle the fish fillets with a couple of drops of olive and brush them lightly.
- Then roll the fillets up, starting with the thinest side. Roll them up tightly.
- Once the fish rolls are ready, srinkle lightly with extra pepper and salt and roll each of them in a slice of ham as well.
- Place the haddock parcels on a baking tray that has been greased lightly with a little olive oil. Then place the tray in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) and bake the fish for about 20 minutes until cooked in the middle. Turn the fish parcels halfway through cooking time so the ham can lightly crisp up on both sides. Once cooked, remove the fish from the hot oven and place it onto clean warm plates. Sprinkle with extra pepper and some fresh watercress. Serve immediately.
Easy Watercress Mash with Spring Onion
Nope, this is not a colcannon but a creamy watercress mash.
Other ingredient that also goes into it: spring onions, baked for a couple of minutes in some butter. Then added the cooked potatoes and garlic (a must!) to it, mashed the lot up and only added the fresh watercress right in the end before serving.
By doing that you will keep that fresh watercress flavor intact.
I used young watercress sprouts but the fully grown version will also do of course.
Nutmeg
Chop it up roughly and add it to the mash.
An extra flavor and a must as well here that goes well with the watercress: a good pinch of nutmeg!
Chuck it all in, mix it up: ready to serve! Prepared this mash as a potato side dish for a gorgeous oven baked haddock wrapped in ham.
Delish.
Enjoy!
Easy Watercress Mash with Spring Onion
This is not a colcannon but a creamy watercress mash!
- 1 lb potatoes for mash (450 g)
- a handful fresh watercress
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 4 medium fresh spring onions
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup whole milk (60 ml)
- nutmeg
- pepper
- salt
- Peel and trim the potatoes. Rinse them quickly under cold running to water. Then chop them up into smaller chunks and add them to a large saucepan. Peel and chop up the garlic cloves. Add them to the potatoes as well. Pour in enough tap water until the potatoes are fully submerged. Season with a good pinch of salt and place the pan over high heat.
- Bring the potatoes to a rolling boil and cook them until tender. Then drain them.
- In the same pan add half of the unsalted butter. Trim the spring onions and slice them up finely. Place the pan with butter over high heat. Once the butter has melted, then add the sliced spring onion.
- Stir and season with a little pinch of pepper and salt. Gently cook the spring onion for 4 minutes and then add the cooked potatoes and garlic to the pan as well.
- Stir well and mash it all up until you get a lovely mash.
- Add the milk, the rest of the unsalted butter and a pinch of pepper, some grated nutmeg and salt.
- Mash the potatoes up well and then add the watercress.
- Stir well again. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper, nutmeg or salt to taste if necessary. Then scoop the mashed potatoes onto plates and serve.
