The National Piping Centre has an impressive standing in the world of music, but the emphasis on quality also runs through to the Pipers’ Tryst restaurant at their Glasgow base in McPhater Street.
Head chef, Eddie Shaw has created a mouthwatering menu offering a range of dishes with a strong Scottish theme but there is also a Mediterranean twist.
Eddie explained: “We have a wide range from basics like steak pie and fish and chips to something a bit different like steak or lamb cutlets. There is plenty of variety plus we do a dish of the day and fish of the day, which can be anything from sea bass to monkfish.
“The main nucleus of the menu is traditional Scottish dishes like Cullen skink, haggis and cranachan. But we also use Scottish produce like Stornoway black pudding served with chorizo so there is also a Mediterranean influence.”
The Pipers’ Tryst has an extensive a la carte menu but also offers an excellent pre-theatre menu which runs from 5-7pm every day costing £12.95 for two courses or £15.95 for three courses.
The dish Eddie has chosen to showcase for Piping Today readers is from the pre-theatre menu – Panfried pollock fillet with warm spinach, sauteed chorizo and potato salad with a balsamic reduction. He said: “This dish uses sustainable fish and is a posher take on fish and chips. We have
potatoes instead of chips, the fish, the spinach is like a salad and the balsamic reduction which is the salt and vinegar.
“It goes really well with other dishes from the pre-theatre menu such as the starters of smoked chicken with goat’s cheese and orange or warm leek and cheese tart.”
Eddie has given step-by-step instructions so that you can recreate this dish at home. And if you’d rather use a different fish, any variety with meaty flesh like cod or monkfish will do just as well.
Panfried pollock fillet with warm spinach, sautéed chorizo and potato salad with a balsamic reduction
Ingredients:
1 x 6oz pollock fillet, half chorizo finger, 1 tsp olive oil, 5 baby new potatoes,
1oz baby spinach (approx 8 leaves), 2oz butter,
2tsp balsamic reduction, salt and pepper.
Method:
- Boil potatoes in salted water until ready. The best way to check if a potato is cooked it is to press it with a small knife. It’s ready when the potato falls off the knife. Cool the potatoes in cold water. Slice and put aside.
- Warm pan on stove and add tsp of olive oil. Season pollock with salt and pepper. Cook skin side down for approx three minutes. Add the two knobs of butter and turn. Put in oven to finish cooking until flesh starts to come apart to touch. Leave to rest.
- Slice chorizo sausage. Panfry in dry pan to release oils. Add potato slices and cook for around two minutes. Add spinach at end.
- Place potato, chorizo and spinach in a serving ring, biscuit cutter or ramekin. Push down with spoon to crush. Remove ring or ramekin and place warm pollock fillet on top. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Garnish with herbs and serve.
