Delia Smith Luxury Fish Pie Recipes

LUXE FISH PIE

Steps:

• Place the fish fillets in a large, wide saucepan and pour over the milk. Add the onion wedges and bay leaves, tucking them in around the fish. Bring to a very gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and remove from the heat immediately. Leave to stand and infuse for 10 mins or until the fish is just cooked. Drain the fish in a colander over a large jug to reserve the infused milk, then tip the fish into a bowl. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the topping. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 mins or until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart. Drain well, return to the pan and mash with the butter, half the cheese and the crème fraîche until smooth. Season to taste and set aside.
• To finish the filling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few secs, then gradually add the infused milk, stirring over a medium heat for 3 mins until the sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in the spinach and wine or vermouth, if using, and cook for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat and stir in the dill. Season to taste.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Spoon a third of the sauce into the base of a 3-litre shallow rectangular dish. Scatter half the fish fillets over the sauce, breaking them into chunky pieces and discarding the skin, any stray bones, onion and bay leaves as you go. Pour over another third of the sauce, then top with more fish. Continue the layers once more, finishing with sauce.
• Spoon the potato over the fish mixture, starting at the edges. Swirl the potato with the back of a spoon and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 45 mins or until the potato is golden and the filling is bubbling.

LUXURY SEAFOOD PIE WITH A PARMESAN CRUST

Steps:

• To start, if the scallops are large, slice each one in half. Then pour the vermouth into a medium-sized saucepan and add the bay leaf. Bring it up to the boil, add the scallops and, when it comes back to a simmer, time it for exactly 1 minute before removing them with a draining spoon to a colander over a bowl. Next add the monkfish - in two batches - following the same procedure (back to a simmer, but this time cook each batch for 2 minutes). Next poach the frozen mussels (same as the above, but remove them just as they come to a simmer) and finally the frozen prawns, only this time poach them until they turn pink and opaque. Then add the drained juices from the poached fish to the poaching liquid in the pan and bring it up to the boil, then reduce by two-thirds, which will take about 10 minutes. Then pour the poaching liquid into a jug, you need about 150ml. Next make the sauce, do this my melting the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour, then gradually add the poaching liquid bit by bit, stirring continuously with a mini whisk. Cook on a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has cooked, add the creme fraiche, capers, cornichons and dill, then season and add some cayenne pepper. Once the sauce and fish are completely cold, mix them together in a bowl and pile into the pie dish. Next roll the pastry to an oblong 20 x 30cm then use a pastry brush to dampen the surface with a little water and sprinkle evenly with the 20g of Parmesan, then fold the pastry over and roll it out to 35cm square. Now cut two 2cm strips from two of the edges of the pastry square. Dampen the rim of the dish with water, press the strips of pastry on to the rim and dampen them. Press the rest of the pastry loosely over that to form a lid, and using a sharp knife, trim any excess pastry off. Then press the edges firmly together and flute them all round. Make a steam hole in the centre with a skewer and roll any pastry trimmings together and cut them into leaves or little fish to decorate the top! Cover and chill for at least an hour, but it will be fine until the following day. When you are ready to cook the pie, preheat the oven to 220C, gas mark 7, then brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan. Place the pie on a baking tray and cook on the centre shelf of the oven for 25 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C, gas mark 4 and cook for a further 20 minutes. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

LUXURY FISH PIE WITH ROSTI CAPER TOPPING

Steps:

• First of all, prepare the potatoes by scrubbing them, but leaving the skins on. As they all have to cook at the same time, if there are any larger ones cut them in half. Then place them in a saucepan with enough boiling, salted water to barely cover them and cook them for 12 minutes after they have come back to the boil, covered with the lid. Strain off the water and cover them with a clean tea cloth to absorb the steam. Meanwhile, heat the wine and fish stock in a medium saucepan, add the bay leaf and some seasoning, then cut the halibut in half if it's a large piece, add it to the saucepan and poach the fish gently for 5 minutes. It should be slightly undercooked. Then remove the fish to a plate, using a draining spoon, and strain the liquid through a sieve into a bowl. Now rinse the pan you cooked the fish in, melt the butter in it, whisk in the flour and gently cook for 2 minutes. Then gradually add the strained fish stock little by little, whisking all the time. When you have a smooth sauce, turn the heat to its lowest setting and let the sauce gently cook for 5 minutes. Then, whisk in the crème fraîche, followed by the cornichons, parsley and dill. Give it all a good seasoning and remove it from the heat. To make the rösti, peel the potatoes and, using the coarse side of a grater, grate them into long shreds into a bowl. Then add the capers and the melted butter and, using two forks, lightly toss everything together so that the potatoes get a good coating of butter. Now remove the skin from the white fish and divide it into chunks, quite large if possible, and combine the fish with the sauce. Next, if you're going to cook the fish pie more or less immediately, all you do is add the raw scallops and prawns to the fish mixture then spoon it into a well-buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the rösti on top, spreading it out as evenly as possible and not pressing it down too firmly. Then, finally scatter the cheese over the surface and bake on a high shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes. If you want to make the fish pie in advance, this is possible as long as you remember to let the sauce get completely cold before adding the cooled white fish and raw scallops and prawns. When the topping is on, cover the dish loosely with clingfilm and refrigerate it until you're ready to cook it. Then give it an extra 5-10 minutes' cooking time.

THE HAIRY BIKERS' FISH PIE WITH CHEESE MASH

Steps:

• To make the filling, pour the milk into a large lidded pan and add the sliced onion and bay leaves. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Place the fish fillets in the pan and bring to a very gentle simmer, cover and cook for two minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand and infuse for 20 minutes. Drain the fish through a colander into a bowl, then pour the milk into a jug.
• Meanwhile, make the mash for the topping. Half fill a large saucepan with cold water. Add the potatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
• Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Mash with the butter, milk and three-quarters of the grated cheese. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• To finish the filling, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few seconds, then gradually add the infused milk, stirring constantly, and simmer over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in the peas and season with salt and black pepper.
• Spread one third of the sauce into the base of a 1.5 litre/2¾ pint ovenproof dish. Scatter half the fish fillets over the sauce, breaking them into chunky pieces as you go and discarding the onion and bay leaves.
• Arrange half the prawns on top of the fish and pour over another third of the sauce. Repeat this with the remaining fish and prawns and finish with the final third of sauce on top.
• Spoon the mash over the fish mixture, spreading to the edges with a palette knife. Fork the surface and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden-brown and the filling is bubbling.

LUXURY SMOKED-FISH PIE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C). First of all arrange the haddock in a baking tin, pour over the milk and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley stalks, then bake, uncovered, on a high shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the skin from the kipper fillets and skin and bone the Arbroath smokies - the flesh will come off very easily. Then chop them into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces, along with the smoked salmon, if the slices are whole, then place all the prepared fish in a mixing bowl. Next, when the haddock is cooked, strain off the liquid and reserve it, discarding the bay leaf, parsley stalks and peppercorns. Then, when the haddock is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and flake the flesh into largish pieces, adding it to the bowl to join the rest of the fish. Next make the sauce, and do this by melting the butter in the saucepan, stir in the flour and gradually add the fish liquid bit by bit, stirring continuously. When all the liquid is in, finish the sauce by gradually adding the single cream, then some seasoning, and simmer for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley. Now add the hard-boiled eggs, capers and cornichons to the fish, followed by the lemon juice and, finally, the sauce. Mix it all together gently and carefully so as not to break up the fish too much, then taste and check the seasoning and pour the mixture into the baking dish. Now, to make the topping, peel and quarter the potatoes, put in a steamer fitted over a large saucepan of boiling water, sprinkle with a dessertspoon of salt, put a lid on and steam until they are absolutely tender - about 25 minutes. Then remove the potatoes from the steamer, drain off the water, return them to the saucepan and cover with a clean tea cloth to absorb some of the steam for about 5 minutes. Now add the butter and crème fraîche and, on the lowest speed, use an electric hand whisk to break the potatoes up, then increase the speed to high and whip them up to a smooth, creamy, fluffy mass. Taste, season well, then spread the potatoes all over the fish, making a ridged pattern with a palette knife. Now finally sprinkle over the grated cheeses and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is nicely tinged brown. Serve each portion garnished with the watercress.