LUXURY FISH PIE

As easy as pie!

INGREDIENTS

FILLING:
White fish fillets (any fish of your choice)
Salmon fillets
Frozen cooked prawns
Frozen peas
Tinned sweetcorn

SAUCE:
Plain flour
Butter
Milk (plus milk for cooking the fish)
Cream (optional)
Onion
Chicken stock cube or
Seasoned Sea Salt (A.Vogel Herbamare, see link below)
Freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
Fresh parsley

TOPPING:
Hard boiled eggs (I usually do about four)
Creamy mashed potato
Grated cheddar cheese
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Fresh vegetables of your choice for an accompaniment.  I like to serve carrots and broccoli, nice & colourful.

I never weigh anything as I do it purely by eye!  I'm sure you will be able to as well, adjusting the quantities according to how many people you're serving.  The only quantities you need to know is for the sauce.  This is made from a roux which is always equal quantities of butter and flour.  I would normally do 2 tablespoons of each.

WHAT YOU NEED:  A large dish, I use a Lasagne style dish. A deep sided frying pan or a large pan. Pans for cooking potatoes and vegetables. A small pan for making your sauce.

METHOD
Potatoes: Peel, quarter and boil in salted water until soft enough for mashing.

Vegetables: Prepare the vegetables that you are going to serve with the pie.  If you are serving carrots you could start cooking those as well. Broccoli doesn't want cooking until the end but you could prepare it. I like to steam it, you can use a steamer or separate the florets and place in a pan with only a small amount of water.

Prawns: Rinse under cold water in a colander and set aside to drain & defrost.

Eggs: Place your eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil, once the water is boiling they will take about 10 minutes to be hard boiled, set a timer. You could turn your oven now to preheat, about 200°C

Lets cook the fish.. (whilst your potatoes, vegetables and eggs are cooking)
In a deep sided frying pan lay all your fish, except the prawns, pour over some milk until nearly covered.  Peel and quarter an onion and place that in the pan too.  Put on a medium heat and poach the fish in the milk until cooked, this will only take a few minutes and you will see the fish change colour.
When cooked remove the fish with a fish slice and put aside on a plate.  Remove the onion and throw away.  Reserve the liquid in a jug, you are going to use this milk to make a sauce.

Now for the sauce...
Melt the butter in a pan, when it has melted take it off the heat and add the plain flour.  Stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour has been absorbed into the butter then put it back on the heat.  Keep stirring and cook for a couple of minutes until 'blonde'.  Add the reserved milk little by little, stirring the sauce against the side of the pan with the wooden spoon to break up any lumps, or you could use a whisk.  Keep going until it is a sauce consistency, it should coat the back of your spoon.  If you add too much milk, don't panic, just mix a little flour with water to a smooth liquid paste and add to your sauce.  As you cook the sauce it will thicken, keep stirring, don't leave it!  When you are happy with the consistency add your seasonings, stock cube or seasoned sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, a couple of dashes of tabasco and fresh parsley.  If you want to make it really rich you could make the sauce very thick and then add a little cream.  Once you are happy with how it tastes add your frozen peas and sweetcorn and the prawns, heat through for a few minutes, stirring, so that the prawns are heated through.  Take off the heat.

Eggs: They should be done by now.  Put the pan in the sink and run the cold water tap over them for a few minutes. Leave in cold water for a few minutes.

Carrots: Check to see if they're cooked, if they are take them off the heat but leave them in the water.

Potatoes: Mash to a smooth consistency seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  If you have any milk left you could also add a little of that, or even some cream.

Now for assembly!
Your fish should have remained pretty much whole when you set it aside.  You want to try and keep it  in pretty large pieces so that the pie has some texture, but leave the skin behind.  Place all the fish pieces in the base of your dish.  Then pour the sauce over, don't worry about mixing it through the fish, it will find its own way.  Slice the hard boiled eggs and lay them in a layer completely covering the fish.  Top with the mashed potato and score the potato with a fork.  Top with grated cheese.

Place in a hot oven to heat through.  It will start bubbling when it is hot and the top should brown.  If not you can always finish it off under the grill to get a golden topping.

Whilst the pie is heating through, cook your broccoli...

Broccoli: When you turn on the heat, put the lid on so that the florets will steam, they won't take long and be careful not to overcook them, I like the stalks to have a bit of 'bite'.  Also broccoli goes cold very quickly, so it needs to be served as soon as it is cooked.

Carrots: Check if they need heating up and if they do turn the heat back on.  Once all your vegetables are cooked place in a warmed serving dish and take to the table along with your wonderful fish pie.

Enjoy!

NB:  If you are gluten intolerant try using potato or rice flour

VARIATION
For a variation on my fish pie, make the filling exactly the same way but instead of topping it with mashed potato, top with flaky pastry, shop bought is best!

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