Homemade Salted Saithe (Coley) Tortilla - Fishbox
Serves 4-6 (depending on how greedy you are!)- an adapted Rick Stein Recipe
Ingredients
4 portions of salted Saithe
Four good lugs of olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
4 medium tatties (waxy varieties are best), chopped into thick matchsticks
Medium bunch of parsley roughly chopped
6-8 eggs
Salt and pepper
Method
Cover the base of a Tupperware with a layer of salt, then place your fish (cod, saithe, long or pollock work best) on top of the salt. Sprinkle a good layer on top of the fish then refrigerate over night. Vary the time depending on the thickness of the fish, the thicker the pieces, the longer it needs in salt.
In the morning take the fish out and rinse off the salt before putting the fish in a bowl of fresh water, leaving it there for around 8 hours changing the water once or twice. Depending on the portion size, the fish may need a bit longer or shorter time in fresh water to flush out the salt. When ready to use, put a pan of water on to boil and drop the fish into the water and simmer until it's just cooked, it should take just 3-4mins. Carefully remove from the pan and leave to cool.
Cook your salted Saithe as per the recipe above then leave to cool before breaking it into large flakes. Par boil the tatties for five mins, drain, then leave to steam dry in a colander.
Heat your oil in a large, deep, oven proof frying pan and add the onions, followed a few minutes later by the garlic and tatties. Cook everything until the onions are sweet and everything is slightly brown and tender (about 15mins). Add the cooked Saithe and GENTLY stir everything around to distribute the ingredients evenly.
Beat your eggs with some salt and pepper (not to much salt as the fish is a wee bit salty), and add to the pan with the chopped parsley, again giving everything a wee gentle stir. Cook for a couple of mins on a low hob before transferring to a hot oven (180-200 oC) for 15-20mins or till the eggs have set. Once set, finish under a grill to get the perfect finish on top.
Serve with a green salad, a wedge of lemon and a glass of the White stuff!
