How to Bake Smoked Fish Souffle

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Smoked Fish Souffle:

• 9 oz smoked white fish fillets
• 2 oz cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 fl oz full fat milk
• 4 range eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp white breadcrumbs, fine and dry
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 oz all purpose flour
• 1 oz butter, plus more for greasing
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Smoked Fish Souffle:

• Warm up your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spread some butter across the sides and base of a 1 ¾ pint souffle dish and dust it with breadcrumbs; tap off any extra crumbs and set aside.
• Place the fish fillets, side by side, in a saucepan and drop a bay leaf on top.
• Add a splash of milk over them, put a lid on and heat the mixture until it is brought to a gentle simmer.
• Turn off the heat once the fish is just cooked and set aside for a couple of minutes in the hot milk.
• Remove the fish from the pan and set both of them aside in separate containers until required.
• Once the fish cools down slightly, chop the fillets into smaller chunks and discard the bones, if there are any.
• Add a knob of butter in a separate saucepan and melt it over moderate heat.
• Whisk in the flour, while adding it in batches, until all of it is used up form a smooth roux.
• Cook the roux for a minute and pour in the reserved warm milk in a steady stream, while whisking the mixture with the other hand, until they form a smooth sauce,
• Bring the sauce to a gentle boil for a minute or so, while stirring frequently and turn off the heat.
• Add the cheese as well as mustard right away and stir them until the former melts and you get a smooth blend.
• Set it aside and whisk in the egg yolk until well combined.
• Fold in the cooked fish and adjust the seasonings.
• Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold half of it into the above mixture, trapping in as much air as you can.
• Now fold rest of the egg whites similarly and tip the mixture into the greased souffle dish.
• Run a sharp knife around the upper edge of the dish and bake the souffle in the oven for about half an hour or until it rises up and the surface turns golden brown.
• Serve right away with the fresh green salad.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons