Smoked fish & vegetables in a creamy sauce nestle under a golden, cheesy, savoury crumble topping. Wonderful warming food for autumn, or all year round!
I haven’t made a savoury crumble for at least 15 years, probably longer. But for some reason, it was exactly what I fancied. Perhaps it’s the nip in the air that signals autumn is on its way? Perhaps the shorter evenings? Whatever it was, a creamy, comforting filling topped with crisp, golden, savoury crumbs was called for.
Retro cuisine
I’ve always thought of savoury crumble as being vaguely retro, although I’ve never quite pinned down which era it belongs to. It seems like it should fall into the wholesome herby whole-food category of the late-60s/early-70s, but I’m sure I never actually ate one until at least the 1980s. Poor thing, the savoury crumble just never seemed to fit in.
Image problems
When I announced what was for dinner, DH muttered something about, “cheesy porridge” which might give some indication of the savoury crumble’s PR problem. Everyone loves an apple crumble, or a rhubarb crumble, but when you take away the sugar and put the crumbs on top of vegetables or some other savoury filling, then you often get funny looks. Which are entirely undeserved, unless you serve it with custard…
Fragrant aromas
My daughter Kipper, who is unaffected by the cultural baggage that surrounds the savoury crumble, was bouncing about, squealing unintelligibly while this was in the oven. Once I’d persuaded her to calm down and speak in a (more) normal voice, it turned out she was excited about how yummy the dinner smelled as it was cooking. She was right – it smelled delicious!
The proof of the (savoury) pudding!
The savoury crumble didn’t disappoint. Even DH cleared his plate and made approving noises. No need to wait another 15 years to make this again – it was a hit!
This made enough for the three of us and a small portion left over for my lunch the next day. I’d say serves 3-4.
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Creamy leek, spinach & smoked mackerel savoury crumble
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 leeks
- 150 g spinach (5.3 oz or approx. 1 bag)
- 1½ tablespoon butter
- 2½ tablespoon flour
- 100 ml milk (scant ½ cup)
- 150 ml double cream (⅔ cup)
- 200 g smoked mackerel (approx 3-4 fillets)
For the crumble
- 50 g butter (approx. ¼ cup)
- 60 g plain flour (½ cup)
- 40 g rolled oats (⅜ cup)
- 35 g grated parmesan (or similar hard cheese) (approx. ⅓ cup)
- 1-2 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
To make the filling
- Trim the leeks, wash, and cut into 8-10mm (⅓-½ inch) slices. Wash and spin or pat dry the spinach. Remove the stems and discard, and shred the leaves.
- Melt 1½ tablespoon butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Saute the leeks for 5 minutes until soft. Add the spinach, cover and allow to wilt. Mix with the leeks.
- Sprinkle over 2½ tablespoon flour and stir to combine. Gradually stir in the milk, followed by the cream, and mix well. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and allow the sauce to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Remove the skin from the smoked mackerel and flake into large pieces. Stir the mackerel pieces into the leek/spinach mixture. Transfer to a baking dish.
To make the crumble
- In a food processor, whizz the butter, flour, and half the oats to give coarse crumbs. (Alternatively, rub in by hand.)
- Add the remaining oats, the cheese and the thyme and pulse to just combine. (Or mix well with a spoon.)
- Spread the crumble topping evenly over the filling, and bake at 190°C (375°F) for around 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve at once.
Notes
Nutrition
Other delicious recipes using smoked fish include easy smoked mackerel kedgeree, quick smoked mackerel and avocado pate, and creamy smoked salmon pasta with peas.
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