Fish Pie
This is a classic and comforting dish for all seasons, a chance to enjoy the beauty of fish. I grew up near the Newlyn Fish Market in Cornwall, where we had access to all kinds of fish – cod, haddock, mackerel, bass ... I like a combination of textures and flavours for this pie, so use a mix of smoked fish, white fish, oily fish, and scallops or prawns. Use whatever you like or vary it based on what’s available at the market or fishmonger.
The pictured pie was made using wholemeal flaky shortcrust pastry.
Serves 6-8.
Ingredients 20
6 raw prawns (shrimp), shells on
700 g white fish fillets, such as snapper, blue eye, ling, and flathead
200 g hot-smoked fish fillets, such as rainbow trout, flaked
60 g olive oil
2 fennel bulbs, small, thinly sliced, fronds reserved
4 shallots, large, thinly sliced
1 leek, small, white part only, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
70 g unsalted butter
70 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
300 g fish stock
300 g full-cream milk, (whole milk)
20 g chives, snipped
10 g chopped parsley
1 lemon, zested, juiced
10 g wholegrain mustard
9 g fine salt
1⁄2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1⁄2 quantity flaky shortcrust pastry, see my flaky shortcrust pastry recipe
egg wash, see my egg wash recipe
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Method 11
First prepare your seafood. Shell the and cut all the into 2–3 cm (¾–1 1/4 in) pieces, then put it all in the fridge. Use the trimmings to make a quick stock as described in my tips.
Heat the in a large heavy-based saucepan over a low–medium heat. Add the , , and and cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until softened but not browned. Transfer to a large bowl.
Return the pan to a medium heat and melt the . Add the and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking, for 4–5 minutes until the mixture darkens slightly and resembles sand.
Add the , whisking if necessary to get rid of any lumps, then add the and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2–3 minutes until the béchamel thickens. It should be like very thick custard. Set aside to cool.
Add the , and béchamel to the fennel mixture. Add the , , fennel fronds, , , and and stir to combine well. Transfer to a 23 cm (9 in) square, 8 cm (3 1/4 in) deep pie dish, or use a similarly sized oval or round dish. Refrigerate while you prepare your pastry.
Put the on a lightly floured kitchen bench and roll it out into a square roughly measuring 28 × 28 cm (11 × 11 in) and 4 mm (⅙ in) thick. Adjust the shape accordingly for differently sized pie dishes. Lay the pastry between two sheets of baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove the from the fridge and remove the top sheet of paper. To mark the top with ‘fish scales’, use a measuring spoon or melon baller to gently score semicircle indentations in a line along the top edge of the pastry, making sure that you don’t pierce the pastry.
Follow this with another line directly underneath, offsetting the scales above. Continue all the way down the pastry sheet. Lightly brush the pastry with egg wash, cover with baking paper and return it to the fridge to rest for another 30 minutes.
Slide the off the baking paper and on to the top of the pie dish, with the edges overhanging the side of the dish. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with egg wash again and use a knife to make a couple of steam holes in the top. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes.
To bake the pie, preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). If your pie dish is very full, it’s a good idea to put a tray on the bottom shelf of the oven to catch any bubbling sauce during baking – it’s much easier to clean this off a tray than off your oven floor. Bake for 40–45 minutes, turning the dish halfway through, until the pastry is flaky and golden.
Rest for 10 minutes before serving with green beans and peas, or a bitter leafy salad. Enjoy with a nice glass of wine!
Urbanstead's tips
Fish is expensive now and so it should be, so make sure you use it all to stretch the value. Save yourself some work and ask your fishmonger to fillet whole fish and give you the skin and bones (you usually pay for it anyway). As you prepare your ingredients, set aside the prawn shells and vegetable trimmings, then use them to make a quick stock. Put it all in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat to cool before straining.
