Potato crêpes with a trio of smoked fish

Ingredients to serve 4

For the crepes:

450g potatoes, peeled and diced
3tsp plain flour
3 eggs
4 egg whites
50ml double cream
50ml milk
salt and black pepper

For the filling:

100g smoked salmon
100g smoked trout
100g smoked haddock or mackerel
50ml crème fraîche
lemon juice to taste

To finish:

chives
lemon wedges

As with all cooking, the secret is in the quality of the produce. Smoked fish is the most important component of this dish, so it is worth seeking out the best. There are some wonderful, small smoke houses dotted around the UK. The chances of one being near you are high and all sell their produce directly. If you are not fortunate enough to live close to one, a good-quality deli will almost certainly be able to source it.

We sometimes build our own smokers. All you need is a metal tray, with a wire rack over the top. Put some smouldering wood chippings in the tray, put the fish on the rack and cover tightly with foil. Leave it overnight, and you have smoked fish! (Choose your wood chippings carefully, though. Pine leaves an unpleasant taste.)

To make the pancakes, cook the potatoes and mash well. Add the other ingredients.

Heat a heavy frying pan and brush with oil. Fry the pancakes until brown on one side then turn over and cook the second side. Cool then chill or freeze until required. They should be about 8cm across.

Defrost 12 pancakes for this recipe; reheat at gas mark 5, 190C for five minutes.

For the filling: cut the smoked fish into strips, sprinkle with black pepper and juice to taste and toss together to mix.

Arrange the pancakes in stacks of three with a spoonful of crème fraîche and fish spread between each layer. Garnish with chives and lemon wedges.

Andrew Maxwell is principal of the Tante Marie Cookery School in Woking (www.tantemarie.co.uk)