The Ultimate Fish Pies Recipes

THE ULTIMATE FISH PIES

Steps:

• Make the mash for the topping first. Place the potatoes in a large pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Drain, then mince with a potato ricer or mash finely. Mix in the milk, followed by the egg yolks and butter, then season and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Place 500ml milk into a saucepan and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add the hake and slowly poach for 4 minutes. Remove the fish, thickly flake, and reserve the milk.
• Make the herb sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Add 250ml of the reserved poaching milk (discard the rest) and whisk well. Stir in the stock, nutmeg and season to taste with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
• Cook over a low heat until thickened, then remove from the heat, mix in the herbs and fold in the hake, prawns and smoked salmon.
• Divide the mixture between 4 x 400ml pie dishes then dollop the mash on top. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and piping hot.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: FISH PIE

Steps:

• Mix 3 tbsp of the milk into the cornflour and set aside. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan. Shell the prawns, reserve the meat, then drop the shells and heads (wash them first if necessary) into the milk along with the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, garlic and a grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, put the potatoes into a large pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins until tender. Drain. Steam the sliced leek for 3 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Strain the infused milk through a sieve into a large shallow sauté pan. Lay all the fish fillets (not the prawns) in the milk. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and leave, covered, for 5 mins. Use a slotted spoon to transfer all the fish to a dish and leave to cool slightly. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Stir the slackened cornflour, then stir it into the hot milk in the sauté pan. Return the pan to the heat and stir until thickened. Briefly stir in the soft cheese, remove from the heat, then add the parsley and season with black pepper. Stir in any liquid that has drained from the fish. Break the fish into big pieces as you lay them in a 2-litre ovenproof dish so that the different varieties are evenly distributed. Scatter over the prawns and leek, then season with pepper. Pour the sauce over and give a few gentle stirs to evenly distribute the sauce and combine everything without breaking up the fish.
• Using a large fork, crush the potatoes by breaking them up (not mashing them) into chunky pieces. Mix in the oil, chives and a grind of black pepper. Spoon the potato crush over the fish. Sit the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins, or until the sauce is bubbling and the potatoes golden. Alternatively, make the dish completely, refrigerate it for several hrs or overnight, then bake at the same temperature as above for 45 mins.

THE ULTIMATE FISH PIE

Steps:

• For the potato topping, place the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes well and mash them with a potato masher or ricer along with salt, white pepper and butter, to taste. Stir in the gruyere and set aside the potatoes, keeping them warm. For the poaching broth, place the fish stock, vermouth, onion, fennel, carrot, celery, bay leaf and saffron in a large pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. For the fish, place the white fish, smoked haddock, salmon and prawns into the broth and poach for three minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Pour the broth through a sieve into a clean pan, discarding the vegetables and herbs. Bring the broth back to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. For the parsley sauce, heat the butter and flour together in a pan over a low heat, stirring to make a paste. Add the reduced broth 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. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. To finish the sauce, add the double cream to the pan and season, to taste, with salt and white pepper. 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). Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the spinach to the pan. Blanch for a minute until the spinach has wilted. Drain well. Slice the hard-boiled eggs and lay on top of the fish, followed by the blanched spinach. Cover with the mashed potatoes. In a small bowl, mix together the ciabatta crumbs and the parmesan. Sprinkle the cheese breadcrumbs on top of the pie. 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.