We really do love a nice piece of fish, but here on the Joe Finnegan Show we found we were a bit 'stuck in a rut' when it came to trying out new ideas.
Cue Chef Gearoid Lynch who came to the rescue with this great recipe for Fish Pie - try it out and let us know how you get on - email us [email protected]
There are two components to this dish: cooking the unsmoked fish and shellfish in white wine and cooking the smoked fish in the milk, then combining the two in a creamy fish sauce. Any fish or shellfish can be used in this pie.
Serves 4
300ml white wine
250ml water
150ml white wine vinegar
150g salmon, cubed
150g haddock or cod, cubed
150g fresh or frozen prawns
250ml milk
150g smoked haddock or cod, cubed
1 litre fish stock
400ml cream
salt and ground white pepper
1 bunch of chives, chopped
400g mashed potatoes
fresh garden peas, to serve
braised carrots with tarragon (page 000), to serve
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Bring the white wine, water and vinegar to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan, and reduce to a simmer over a medium heat, then add the unsmoked fish and prawns. Poach for 6 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Remove from the liquid and allow to cool. Discard the cooking liquid.
Heat the milk to just a simmer in a separate saucepan and poach the smoked fish for 6 minutes, until cooked, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Take the smoked fish out of the milk, combine with the other poached fish and divide between four individual ovenproof dishes. Discard the milk.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by reducing the fish stock in a small saucepan by half, then adding the cream, reducing the heat and simmering for 10 minutes, until it’s smooth and coats the back of the spoon. Taste and season and allow to cool slightly.
Pour the sauce over the fish in the ovenproof dishes and sprinkle with chopped chives. If you have a piping bag, pipe the mashed potato on top of the fish. Alternatively, spoon the mashed potato on top, spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon and run the tines of a fork through the potatoes so that they crisp up in the oven.
Cook for 25–30 minutes, until the pie is heated through and the potatoes are golden and crisp on top. Serve with fresh garden peas and braised carrots with tarragon.
