Dominic Chapman's Omelette Arnold Bennett
By Great British Chefs
Published on 20 April 2022
This dish takes its name from author Arnold Bennett, who once requested an omelette at the Savoy Hotel in London, which contained smoked haddock. So delighted was he with the dish with which he was presented, he went on to order it at hotels around the world, and the dish remains a staple on the Savoy's menu to this day.Time and servings
45 minsTotal time
4Servings
15 minsPrep time
30 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 150 g of hollandaise
- 12 eggs
- 50 g of plain flour
- 3 cloves
- 4 handfuls of chives, chopped, to garnish
- 500 g of smoked haddock, undyed
- 150 ml of double cream
- 10 g of parmesan, grated
- 35 g of butter, plus extra for frying
- 500 ml of milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 0.25 tsp of black peppercorns
- 0.5 onion, peeled
Method
Step 1
For the bechamel, stud half an onion with a few cloves. Pour the milk into a pan and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and the studded onion. Heat the milk gently over a low heat to just below boiling point. Lower the haddock into the pan, skin-side down.Step 2
Cover the haddock with a dampened piece of greaseproof paper and poach gently for about 4 minutes, or until the fish is just beginning to show signs of flaking when pressed. Remove the fish from the milk with a slotted spoon and when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any bones and flake into pieces.Step 3
Strain the warm milk into a bowl, measure out 250ml and discard the rest. Discard the bay leaf, peppercorns and studded onion and then pour the infused 250ml of milk into a clean small pan and return to the heat.Step 4
In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Pour the infused milk into this pan, whisking constantly until you have a smooth thick bechamel sauce.Step 5
Then, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Mix equal quantities of the whipped cream, hollandaise (you can buy the hollandaise pre-made or make yourself) and the béchamel and then gently fold together and season.Step 6
Lightly oil an 18-20cm omelette pan and place over a medium to high heat. Add a knob of butter to the pan. Break the eggs into a bowl, season and beat with a fork. When the butter starts to foam, pour in the eggs, stirring continually and tilting the pan from side to side until the eggs set on the bottom and the top is soft and creamy.Step 7
Remove the pan from the heat then add the flaked haddock to the omelette. Place into 4 warmed oven proof dishes, then spoon a thin layer of the sauce over the omelette (enough to just cover the fish) and place under the grill for a few minutes until golden brown. Repeat for the other 3 omelettes.Step 8
To serve, grate parmesan over the glazed omelette and garnish with chives and sea salt. Serve immediately.