Last Updated on January 4, 2026
Eating a lot of fish as I do, I am constantly looking for new ways to prepare not only the varieties I am familiar with but also some that I use less often. An invitation to try out the online suppliers, Bradley’s Fish, was a great opportunity to order some fish to accompany a recipe from a new online cookbook, Ocean Cook Book. A lovely Sunday lunch was the result of this pairing – haddock with fennel, olives and lemon by one of my favourite fish chefs, Mitch Tonks.
Skip straight to my recipe for haddock with fennel, olives and lemon
Ocean Cook Book is a new initiative from the Marine Stewardship Council that has published this exclusive online set of recipes. They showcase 18 seafood recipes that have been contributed by award-winning chefs who partnered with sustainable fishermen from around the globe. Preferring to eat British fish, I chose a recipe from the UK MSC ambassador, Mitch Tonks, who is an acclaimed restaurateur and chef. One of his early cookbooks has accompanied me on every family seaside holiday over two decades so I knew I could feel safe that his recipe would please my lunch guests. Tonks paired with a Scottish fisherman, Andrew Bremner.
Other pairings include chefs and fishermen from Spain and the Netherlands while a Japanese and Belgian chef have paired with fishermen from Iceland. I like the international focus and cooperation that underpin this project that aims to support sustainable seafood. Recipes are enticing such as Albacore tuna with white asparagus soup or fish balls with remoulade and cucumber spaghetti. Many of the recipes could be served for a special occasion – gratinated langoustines or Tonnikala tuna donburi with Baltic herring tempura – while others are family favourites such as herbed hake polpettes or Cantabrian anchovy pasta with red pepper pesto. Photography is by the inimitable David Loftus.
I defrosted the Bradley’s Fish haddock fillets overnight in the fridge and was impressed by how fresh they were the next morning. Bradley’s flash freeze their fish at sea and the fish you receive is, therefore, fresher than the fillets you can buy in the supermarket or even the fishmonger. They have a terrific range of fish from international and local waters and every item you could think of needing when cooking fish or shellfish. You can read more details about Bradley’s Fish here.
Prepping my lunch dish began with slowly sautéing the sliced fennel bulbs which was a gentle task. Then it is a matter of adding a splash of Pastis and a glass of white wine to the pan along with sliced onions and garlic. Once the vegetables have softened, the fish fillets and olives go on top and the pan is covered and placed in a preheated oven. The recipe instructions cooked the fish to perfection – the fillets were firm and fulsome – all that was needed was to garnish with lemon juice and chopped dill. I served lunch with a few roasted potatoes on the side.
The MSC Ocean Cook Book is free to download
You can order from Bradley’s Fish with an exclusive reader discount of 15% on all orders over £70. Use code FF15 to get this exclusive discount.
Haddock with fennel, olives and lemon
Ingredients
- 360 grams haddock fillet
- 3 small fennel bulbs trimmed and cut into wedges
- 1/2 onion sliced finely
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 handful black olives
- 1 dash Pastis optional
- 1 glass white wine you can substitute with sherry
- 1 tbsp dill chopped
- 50 grams butter cubed
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 C or 180 C fan
- Heat some olive oil in a pan that has a lid and that can go into the oven.
- Gently sauté the fennel slices, turning it over until golden on both sides.
- Add the splash of Pastis if using, bring to the boil for a minute and then add the white wine, onions and garlic. Boil off the alcohol for a minute. Then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cook until the fennel and onions are soft. Add a little water if it looks dry.
- Place haddock fillets on top and then add the olives. Replace the lid and put the pan in the oven.
- Cook for between 6 and 8 minutes until the fish is just cooked.
- Carefully lift out the fish with a fish slice and plate up onto a warm plate, placing the fish above the fennel.
- Pop the pan back on the stove and add the cubed butter, boil so that the sauce becomes buttery and thickened. Add the lemon juice and dill. Pour carefully over the fish.
I do something very much along these lines with cod and hake – never tried with haddock though. Those fish fillets look fabulous!