ingredients
serves 4
2 level tablespoons All purpose flour
3/4 level teaspoon English mustard powder
1/4 pint stout or bitter beer
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/8 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 pound haddock, cod or other white fish without skin or bone, cut into cubes
4 thick slices whole wheat bread
1 level tablespoon snipped fresh chives or chopped fresh parsley
method
1. Mix the flour and mustard to a smooth paste in a bowl with a little of the stout or beer. Season with pepper and gradually mix in the rest of the stout or beer. Stir in the cheese and fish, and turn into an ovenproof dish.
2. Cover the dish and bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for about 10 minutes more, until the sauce is bubbling and the fish is cooked enough to flake easily when tested with a fork.
3. Toast the bread on both sides and lay it on individual plates. Spoon the rarebit onto the toast, sprinkle with the chives or parsley, and serve immediately.
more information
Any white fish is suitable for this variation of Welsh rarebit; baking the fish in stout produces a distinctive malty flavour and a rich sauce.
