Luxury Fish Pie

I think it is time for more fish. With the cold weather lurking around the corner, it is time to think of wholesome comfortable food. What is better than a nourishing pie?

One of the most satisfying of all pies is this fish pie. Needless to say that the fish has to be absolutely fresh. The quality of the pie lies in the freshness of the fish. 

The success depends but not only on the freshness of the fish, which is a given, but also on the sauce the fish is cooked in.
I use a white or Bechamel Sauce, which is one of the basic sauces any cook should be able to do in her or his sleep. You use this sauce in so many dishes that it worth your while perfecting it. You find the recipe for the sauce under Sauces or at the end of this one.

smoked cod

cooked prawns

fresh salmon darnes

Cooking Time: 45 min Prep.Time 20 min

Ingredients

1000g potatoes cooked and mashed

200-300 g fresh cod/or haddock or similar

200 g smoked fish (cod/haddock or salmon)

200 g fresh salmon

200 g prawns precooked (fresh or frozen)

1/2 l of  bechamel sauce (use white wine instead of water and enrich sauce with fresh cream)

Lemon juice to taste 

Cooking Instructions

Prepare the mashed potatoes as usual. Set aside. Wash and dry the fish and cut into cubes. If you use frozen prawns quickly precook them for 1 minute and then dab them dry, otherwise the sauce will get too runny. If you only have one kind of fish just make sure you end up with at least 600g fish. Although the mixture makes for a more interesting taste.

Place the fish into an ovenproof dish, cover with the well seasoned white (bechamel) sauce. As the fish will release liquid during the cooking, make the sauce a bit thicker than usual, otherwise the sauce would be too watery.  Put the mashed potatoes on top. Bake for 30 to 40 min at 175 C
Find the recipe for the sauce below.

The finished result

Bechamel (White) Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of oil, either sunflower or rapeseed, 

2 Tbsp of white flour ( unbleached, if you have it)

Approx 1/4 l water ( you can substitute half of this with milk our white wine depending on what you want to use the sauce for)

1 cube of chicken stock, or vegetable, or fish stock, depending for what dish you want to use the sauce for.

Method

Put butter/oil in a heavy pain, heat slowly to melt the butter.

Add the flour , stirring continuously. The flour will bubble up, this is important, as it means the flour is cooking.

Immediately add the liquid in a steady stream, stirring continuously

Add enough liquid to have a smooth creamy consistency.

Should you end up with lumps. Don't despair. Remove pan from heat and pour sauce through a sieve into another pan. You end up with a smooth sauce.

Add your seasoning

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Once the Roux is cooked you can  add cheese and or cream. For fish use white wine and/or cream

Note: If you like you can add mushroom and/or peas or any vegetables you like to the pie.