The perfect alternative to traditional festive dining
Words Tom Kitchin
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 litres milk
- 600g firm fish fillets (salmon/hake/cod), diced into 2cm cubes
- 200g smoked fish fillet (smoked haddock)
- 4-6 prawns
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1kg Maris Piper potatoes
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1 beaten egg
- Cleaned langoustine heads to decorate finished pie
Bechamel sauce:
- 500ml milk
- 60g butter
- 50g flour
- 2 tablespoons grain mustard
METHOD:
To make the béchamel sauce:
1
First bring the milk up to a simmer in a small pot and set aside.
2
In another pan, melt the butter gently. Add the flour and stir until the mixture is smooth.
3
Add the milk a little at a time to avoid lumps. Keep adding and stirring until you have a creamy sauce.
4
Allow to cool slowly for 5 minutes and then add the grain mustard. Set aside.
To make the mashed potato:
1
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Bake the potatoes until the skin is crispy and middle soft.
2
While hot, scoop out the flesh and pass the potato through a drum sieve to remove lumps.
3
Heat the milk used for poaching the fish and stir into potato mixture with 2 tbsp butter. You may not need all the milk, add bit-by-bit until desired consistency is achieved. Season to taste.
Cooking the fish:
1
Gently heat the 2 litres of milk. Add the fish filets and poach for 3-4 minutes. Add the smoked fish and poach for a further 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove the fish and set aside.
TO ASSEMBLE THE PIE:
1
Preheat the oven to 190°C/as 5. Butter a baking dish and spread a small amount of béchamel on the bottom of the dish.
2
On top of that, spread the poached fish and quartered eggs.
3
Spread with the remaining béchamel. Top with the mashed potatoes, place the langoustine heads in the potato and brush with an egg wash.
4
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
