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Slow roasted haddock with saffron sauce

Updated: Wed, 5 March, 2025

⯆ JUMP TO RECIPE
Slow roasted haddock or cod fillet means the fish is baked in the oven at a very low temperature. It means perfect baked fish every time. It means never overcooking. It means easy. It means healthy. Need I say more?

slow roasted haddock with saffron sauce cuisinefiend.com

Low temperature cooking

Cooking food sous-vide is an example of low temperature cooking: food is sealed in a vacuum bag then lowered into a water bath kept at steady, low temperature. That signals fine restaurant dining or super expensive equipment, but so called ‘reverse seared’ steaks and joints are gaining popularity at home.

Low temperature roasting gives very similar results to sous-vide cooking, without the fuss of vacuum bags and water baths. Blast the meat for the Maillard effect before or after cooking it very gently, at oven temperature between 80C/176F and 125C/257F.

A good electric oven and a digital probe are required there, to maintain steady temperature and to check whether the food is cooked. That method ensures wonderful evenness of cooking throughout the meat joint, and perfect pinkness in the case of beef.

But even those of you familiar with this method might be surprised seeing fish feature in a low temp recipe. I hope to convince you that if restaurants can cook fish sous-vide, you can achieve a similar result in your home oven.

And they certainly do – this recipe is inspired by a restaurant meal where I was served the most unbelievably flaky, slimy and wet piece of cod. It was perfect: having just crossed the border between translucent and opaque, and tasted wonderful.

fish roasted at low temperature cuisinefiend.com

Slimy fish, perfect fish

By way of explanation, ‘slimy’ is in my view the best complement you can pay a cooked piece of fish. Fighting the hateful word ‘moist’, I aim to describe tasty meat as juicy but it won’t happily apply to fish.

Slimy in my books means that the fish flakes easily, looks like it’s dripping with moisture but it isn’t, slips into the mouth like it was lightly oiled and has not a touch of dryness or stringiness. ‘Slimy’ nails the experience.

reverse seared fish cuisinefiend.com

How to cook fish well?

We all know (at least those of us who do know a thing or two about fish) that stringy, overcooked and dry are the three damning words when combined with fish.

Deep frying seals it in the horribly unhealthy but disgustingly tasty cocoon of batter. Pan-frying is fine for cooking tuna or thin fillets like sea bass, but it won’t quite cut it with a thick salmon fillets when you want it cooked through. Grilling can be a hit and miss, roasting is sensible and what works even better is low temperature roasting.

The only potential issue is that the fish will not be piping hot, having spent its time in nearly ambient temperature. That can be fixed by searing it after it’s cooked, but risking the fillet falling to bits a little.

I think that if you serve it with the sauce piping hot, on a properly preheated plate it will be absolutely fine.

haddock loin cuisinefiend.com

How to cook low temperature haddock

I prefer to sear the fish before roasting, just so it looks more appetising, rather than for temperature or cookedness.

searing-haddock cuisinefiend.com

The oven should be set to about 80C/180F and you can also use a warming drawer if you have one, set to cooking function: they usually go up to 80C tops.

The roasting takes about forty-five minutes, for reasonably thick haddock loin fillets. You can measure the internal temperature with a digital probe: when it reaches 50-55C/122-131F, it’s done.

If you haven’t got a probe, prod the flesh with a fork to see if it flakes and is almost opaque inside.

baked haddock fillet with saffron sauce cuisinefiend.com

Saffron sauce is a delight

It is a simple, roux-based sauce flavoured with saffron steeped in warm white wine.

Make the roux by whisking flour into foaming butter and cook stirring for a couple of minutes. Some mustard powder goes in (with a pinch of nutmeg if you like), then wine with the saffron and some fish or vegetable stock needs to be slowly poured in, while the sauce is stirred all the time.

cooking saffron sauce cuisinefiend.com

Add salt and pepper to taste, cook it down to the desired thickness and it’s done.

Place the fish on very well warmed plates and spoon sauce whilst it’s bubbling, as pointed above. This dish is lovely with simple green vegetables on the side.

haddock with saffron sauce cuisinefiend.com

More haddock recipes

Oven baked haddock goujons in crispy panko breadcrumbs, served with tzatziki, Greek cucumber and herb yoghurt sauce.

Miso marinated haddock seared and baked to a succulent, golden beauty. Inspired by Nobu black cod, it is truly an outstanding fish dish.

Fish with mushroom gratin: haddock, turbot or sole fillets baked au gratin, covered with delicious mushroom sauce topped with crisp breadcrumbs.

More low temperature roasting recipes

Slow roasted salmon with dill sauce, baked at 100C/200F. Salmon roasted in very low oven, at 100C, takes about 45 minutes to cook. Salmon cooked this way is moist and succulent, tastier than poached, and served with the easiest dill sauce that goes with any fish.

Pork loin roasted at low temperature, served with blueberry sauce. Low temperature roasting makes for fantastic succulent meat and the blueberry sauce is the best for pork.

Roast sirloin of beef cooked at low temperature produces as fantastic results as sous-vide cooking. The caveat: best if you own a digital meat probe of some kind.

perfect baked haddock fillets  cuisinefiend.com



Slow roasted haddock with saffron sauce

Servings: 2Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cod or haddock loin fillet pieces, about 150 g (5 oz) each, skinless
  • salt
  • white pepper
  • 1 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1 tsp butter
  • For the saffron sauce:
  • 100 ml (½ cup) white wine
  • 100 ml (½ cup) fish or vegetable stock
  • a pinch of saffron strands
  • 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp flour
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • salt and white pepper


METHOD

1. Set the oven to 75-80C/176F. Unfortunately this will only work in a good electric oven that keeps steady temperature, or a warming drawer with low temperature cooking function. Season the fish fillets with salt and white pepper.

2. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat and sear the fish fillets on the skinned side for 1-2 minutes. Place them skinned side up in an oven dish and transfer to the oven or drawer. They need to cook for 45-50 minutes. Check with a digital probe: the internal temperature will be 50-55C/122-131F when it's done.

3. While the fish is cooking, prepare the sauce. Steep the saffron in lightly warmed up wine or stock for a few minutes or longer. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over medium heat until it foams. Stir in the mustard powder. Slowly pour in the wine and stock, whisking the sauce until smooth. Bring it to a simmer, reduce a little if it’s not thick enough. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Place the fish on a very warm plate and spoon over the sauce.

Originally published: Thu, 21 March, 2019


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Hello! I'm Anna Gaze, the Cuisine Fiend. Welcome to my recipe collection.

I have lots of recipes for you to choose from: healthy or indulgent, easy or more challenging, quick or involved - but always tasty.


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