Drew's Fish Pie

Fish Pie

Ingredients
For the potato topping
3lb potatoes - salt and pepper - butter, to taste - 3½oz grated gruyère cheese

Stock
1 litre fish stock - 4 tbsp dry vermouth - 1 onion, roughly chopped - 1 small bulb of fennel, cored and chopped - 1 carrot, chopped - 1 small stick of celery, chopped
1 bay leaf - pinch saffron

Fish
1lb 8oz white fish - 8oz smoked haddock - 8oz salmon - 6oz raw prawns

Parsley Sauce
2½oz unsalted butter - 2½oz plain flour - 5fl oz full-fat milk - large handful parsley, finely chopped - 5fl oz double cream - salt and pepper

To assemble the pie

butter, to grease the dish - 4 hard-boiled eggs - 1oz ciabatta bread/roll crumbs - 1oz grated parmesan cheese – 8 florets Broccoli

Method

1. For the potato topping, place the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain the potatoes well and mash them with a potato masher or ricer along with salt, pepper and butter, to taste.
3. Stir in the gruyère and set aside the potatoes, keeping them warm.
4. Place the fish stock, vermouth, onion, fennel, carrot, celery, bay leaf and saffron in a large pan and bring to the boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
6. Place the white fish, smoked haddock, salmon and prawns into the stock and poach for three minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove the fish from the pan and set aside.
7. Pour the stock through a sieve into a clean pan, *discarding the vegetables and herbs. Bring the stock back to the boil and simmer until reduced by half.
8. Heat the butter and flour together in a pan over a low heat, stirring to make a paste.
9. Add the reduced stock a ladleful at a time and keep whisking until smooth. Add the milk and the parsley, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
11. To finish the sauce, add the double cream to the pan and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
12. To assemble the pie, butter a casserole dish generously and flake the set-aside fish, discarding any skin and bones. Lay the fish in the casserole dish and pour about half of the parsley sauce on top (reserve the remainder of the sauce to use as a pouring sauce on the finished pie).
13. Cook the broccoli until just done.
14. Slice the hard-boiled eggs and lay on top of the fish, followed by the broccoli.
15. Cover with the mashed potatoes.
16. In a small bowl, mix together the ciabatta crumbs and the parmesan. Sprinkle the cheese breadcrumbs on top of the pie.
17. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Reheat the parsley sauce and serve the pie hot with the remaining parsley sauce poured over.

* Do not put the vegetables from the stock into the pie as they will have been cooked out.

Fresh vegetables i.e. carrots – leeks – peas etc. can be added if required.

This pie can be made using only white fish, however by adding coloured & smoked fish the flavour will be enhanced.

Sounds good Drew. Certainly a level above how I do my fish pie. Have to try that one.

You can catch any of these fish at any local supermarket LOL.....