Fish Pie – Andrew’s Favourite!

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A delicious layer of a variety of fresh fish – we like salmon, smoked haddock and haddock or cod – all wrapped in a smooth, unctuous parsley sauce infused with onion, cloves and bay and topped with light, fluffy, buttery, mashed potatoes. This is one of Andrew’s absolute favourite suppers and he is guaranteed to open a really heavenly bottle of wine to accompany it! Hurrah!!😃

Adding hard boiled eggs is optional but they really complement the pie and add layers of flavour, texture and nutrients. Delicious served with your choice of green vegetables, this pie is as perfect for a family meal as it is for entertaining. With the added benefit of being able to prepare the whole dish in advance and heated up later, this pie enables fuss free entertaining with minimal clean up.

That said, it does take around 45 minutes to prepare but you reap the rewards later when you can sit down for a relaxing meal and you’ve already done all the work!

How to make the Fish Pie

First, start with the fish –

Ingredients:

• skinless fish fillet. We like a combination from salmon, smoked salmon, haddock, smoked haddock, cod
• large eggs, optional
• milk
• onion, peeled and quartered
• cloves
• bay leaves
• fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the fish and infuse the milk:

1. Peel and quarter the onion. Stud each quarter of the onion with a clove.
2. Pour the milk, onion and cloves, bay leaves, salt and pepper into a wide based pan.
3. Bring to the boil over a moderate heat and as soon as it comes to the boil, turn off the heat
4. Add the fish, cover and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the fish from the pan and transfer to a greased baking dish.
6. Strain the milk.
7. Chop the fish into small pieces and stir to mix so each portion of pie will get a variety of fish.
8. Cook the eggs: if using eggs, cook while the fish infuses. Put in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Take off the heat, drain and cover with cold water. When cold, remove the shells. Cut into quarters and lay on top of the fish.

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Mashed potatoes

I crack on with the potatoes whilst the fish is infusing in the milk.

Ingredients:

• mashing potatoes, such as Maris Piper, King Edwards
• fine salt
• unsalted butter
• milk or cream – or mixture of both
• freshly ground black pepper

Mash those potatoes:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks.
2. Cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook until soft. This will take 15 – 25 minutes, depending on the type and size of the potatoes.
3. When the potatoes are soft, drain well.
4. Get together the cream/milk, butter and pepper to add.
5. Mash the potatoes with either a potato masher or an electric whisk and add the butter, pepper and half the cream or milk.
6. Whisk until light and fluffy, adding more cream/milk as needed. (NB stop whisking as soon as the potatoes are light and fluffy. If you over-whisk, the potatoes can become waxy in texture.)
7. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

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The Sauce

Ingredients for the sauce:

• infused milk
• unsalted butter
• plain/all-purpose flour
• parsley leaves, finely chopped

How to make the sauce:

1. Finely chop the parsley.
2. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over a moderate heat, add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
3. Change to a balloon whisk before you add the milk and pour it all in at once.
4. Mix vigorously with a balloon whisk until evenly incorporated and there are no lumps. Bring to the boil – as it heats, the sauce will thicken.
5. Now I prefer to use my wooden spoon again. Reduce the temperature and simmer gently for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring continuously. It should be the consistency of thick cream and coat the back of your wooden spoon.
6. Add the chopped parsley and stir to thoroughly mix.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
8. Pour the sauce over the fish and level the surface ensuring the fish is covered.

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Assemble the Fish Pie

1. Spoon the potato evenly over the fish and parsley sauce ensuring you spread it into the corners and sides of the dish. Try and create a seal with your potatoes and the edge of the dish – this will ensure your fish and sauce don’t dry out and that as little as possible bubbles up over the potatoes.
2. Use a knife or a fork to rough the surface of the potatoes – this will help create a delicious crust as you cook the pie.
3. Place your pie onto a foil lined baking tray (this is just to catch any spillage from the dish) and place in the oven. If you are cooking immediately, your pie will take 35 – 45 minutes. If you are cooking directly from the fridge, you will need to allow an extra 10 – 15 minutes.
4. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, take it out of the oven and brush with melted butter. This adds flavour and will ensure the potato crisps up perfectly.
5. Your pie is cooked when the surface of the potatoes has become crusty and light brown and you can see the pie bubbling around the edges.
6. Serve with your choice of green vegetables and some lemon wedges.

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Made this recipe?

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