My Fish Pie

Everyday Seafood

Posted by Quadrille

About

Everyone has their own recipe for a fabulous fish pie. For me, it has to be a third cod, a third salmon and a third smoked haddock. Too much cod and it’s bland, too much smoked haddock and it dominates, too much salmon and it’s greasy. As for those who make it posh with lobster, prawns and scallops, that’s just a waste! I’ve cooked this recipe for two and I’ve cooked it for 200... I think it’s bloody lovely. If you want some veg with it, you can’t go wrong with buttered, minted peas and carrots.

Serves 8

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You Will Need (22 things)

  • For the filling

  • 300 g Cod fillet, skinned
  • 300 g Smoked Haddock fillet, skinned

  • 300 g Salmon fillet, skinned
  • 1 l Whole Milk 

  • 100 g Butter 

  • 100 g Plain Flour
  • 
2 tbsp finely diced Shallots
  • 2 tbsp gherkins , chopped

  • 1 tbsp Small Capers in brine, drained and rinsed
  • 
2 tbsp chopped Parsley 

  • 1 tbsp Chopped Tarragon 

  • 1 tbsp Chopped Chives 

  • 1 tbsp Chopped Chervil
  • Sea salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

  • For the mash

  • 1 ½ kg Floury Potatoes , such as Maris Piper
  • 100 g Butter
  • 200 ml Milk

  • For the topping

  • 150 g Cheddar Cheese , grated
  • 8 Medium Eggs

Steps (6 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    For the mash, peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized chunks. Put into a large pan, cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until tender.

  2. 2

    Drain the potatoes and allow them to sit in the colander for a few minutes, then return to the pan. Mash until smooth and beat in the butter and milk. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.
    Preheat your oven to 180°C/Fan 165°C/Gas 4. For the filling, pour the milk into a large pan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, cut all the fish into chunks.

  3. 3

    Melt the butter in a medium pan over a fairly low heat and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, being careful not to let it brown. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the shallots, gherkins, capers and herbs. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add the fish and toss to combine.

  4. 4

    Tip the seafood and sauce into a baking dish. Spoon or pipe the mashed potato on top and scatter over the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is golden.

  5. 5

    Meanwhile, bring another pan of water to the boil, then carefully lower in the eggs for the filling. Cook for 6 minutes, then drain and place under cold running water until the eggs are cool enough to handle. Peel the boiled eggs and cut in half.

  6. 6

    When the pie is ready, remove from the oven and poke the halved boiled eggs into the potato topping. Serve straight away.