Fish pie.

A good fish pie is the sort of thing that you want on a day when you need some kind of comfort food. The good thing about it was well is that you can use almost any kind of fish for it, so not only can it be tasty but relatively cheap as well.

Ingredients

For the potato topping
1.5kg/3lb 5oz potatoes, use King Edwards or Maris Piper
100ml/ 3floz signal cream.
Salt and white pepper, black pepper, nutmeg and butter, to taste

For the filling.
½ lt /1 pt fish stock
4 tbsp dry white wine
1 onion, small diced
1 small carrot, small diced
1 leek small diced
750g/1lb 10oz white fish
250g/9oz smoked haddock
200g/7oz salmon
120g/4oz raw prawns
75g/2½oz unsalted butter
75g/2½oz plain flour
150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
Large pinch parsley, finely chopped
Large pinch tarragon, finely chopped
Large pinch dill, finely chopped
150ml/5fl oz double cream
Salt and white pepper

To top pie.

25g/1oz grated mature cheddar cheese

First to make your potato topping, you do not have to use King Edwards or Maris Piper, any potato like them will do as long as they are not to waxy. Peal and cut your potatoes then boil them until they are cooked. Drain them so as much water has gone, you do not want a soggy mash you want a dry mash. Then add the cream, mash them until you have the right consistency and then season the potato. Let it cool as it make topping the pie a little easier.

For the filling, take your fish stock and start by lightly poaching your fish in it. You do not want it to be over cooked just lightly poached so that the fish is just cooked. It will finish cooking in the pie. Remove the fish from the stock and then start to make the sauce.

Take a clean pan and add the butter and the onions to the pot. Let the onions soften and then add the flour and let that cook in to the butter. Add some of the warm fish stock a little at a time and let the four work in to the liquids forming the base of the sauce. Once all the stock is added, add the carrot leeks and white wine. Once that has reduced, add the milk and the cream and once more allow it all to thicken. Then season your sauce with salt and pepper and finally add a good pinch of fresh chopped dill, parsley and tarragon.


Let every thing cool for a little while , if your sauce is hot it will just work into the potatoes and you get a very messy looking pie with all sorts of things in the mashed potato top.

Pour your sauce in to a dish and place your fish on top of the sauce. Then either pipe or fork your potato all over the top of the fish. You want to get a good even covering of mash all over the top, then sprinkle over the cheese. Now place in an over at 170°c or 350°f for about 30 to 40 minutes until you see it going all golden on top and the sauce starting to bubble around the edge and it is ready to serve.

The only thing to have with this if you can get them are fresh garden peas.