simons-sauces

Fish pie
Fish pie is a traditional british dish. The pie is usually made with white, often smoked, fish (for example cod, haddockor halibut) in a white sauce or cheese sauce made using the milk the fish was poached in. Prawns and hard boiled eggs are other common additional ingredients.
It is oven baked in a deep dish but is not usually made with the shortcrust or puff pastry casing that is associated with most savoury pies (e.g. steak and kidney pie).
In place of a pastry casing enclosing the pie, a topping of mashed potatoes sometimes topped with cheese is used to enclose the contents during baking.
The dish is sometimes referred to as “fisherman’s pie” because the topping is similar to that of shepherd’s pie, in that it uses mashed potatoes

Ingredients
* 1.5 kg floury potatoes
* 4 large free-range eggs , optional
* 50 g unsalted butter
* 50 g plain flour
* 2 fresh bay leaves
* 350 ml quality fish stock
* 350 ml semi-skimmed milk , plus an extra splash
* 1 heaped teaspoon English mustard
* 50 g Cheddar cheese
* ½ a lemon
* a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley , optional
* freshly ground black pepper* 300 g skinless, boneless white fish , such as coley, whiting, haddock, cod, from sustainable sources
* 200 g skinless boneless salmon from sustainable sources
* 200 g skinless, boneless undyed smoked haddock, from sustainable sources
* 200 g baby spinach
* extra virgin olive oil
* 1 whole nutmeg , for grating

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400ºF/gas 6. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2cm chunks, then boil for around 15 minutes, or until tender. Add the eggs for the last 8 minutes (if using).

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the in a heavy-bottomed pan over a low heat and stir in the flour. Add the bay, then bit by bit, add the stock and the milk, stirring after every addition until you have a smooth, silky sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the mustard, grate in half the cheese, then squeeze in the lemon juice. Pick, finely chop and stir in the parsley (if using), then keep stirring until the cheese is melted. Season with a little black pepper, then remove from the heat.

Get yourself a 25cm x 30cm baking dish. Check that there aren’t any stray bones lurking in the fish fillets, then slice into 2.5cm chunks and spread them evenly over the base of the dish. Wilt and add the spinach, then peel, quarter and add the eggs (if using). Remove the bay leaves, then pour over the white sauce and allow to cool slightly. Drain the potatoes well and mash with a little extra virgin olive oil, a splash of milk and a few scrapings of nutmeg. Spoon the potatoes over the pie and scuff up the surface with a fork. Grate the remaining Cheddar over the top and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through, the sauce is bubbling up at the sides and the top is golden. Delicious served with lots of green peas.
For more information mail or call; simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0031(0)642297107

Tags: Fish pie, recipie, seafood