Easy Fish Pie

Feed an army* with this easy Wholesome Fish Pie


*Feeds an army of upto 8 adults

I’m leaving it up to you to decide what fish or shellfish you want to use. I used smoked cod, haddock and salmon, none of which I poached, but all of which the fishmonger had already skinned.

You can use whatever you like in this recipe, it will make no odds. Scallops, prawns and mussels would all be delicious additions.



Ingredients:
  • 100g butter
  • 150g flour
  • 1 litre milk
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • One glass of white wine
  • 1 massive bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1.5kg spuds, peeled
  • Few knobs of butter
  • 250g cheddar
  • 1.5kg of skinned fish or prepared shellfish
Directions:
Pre-heat an oven to 200 degrees/gas mark six. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour to make a roux. Don’t let it burn, but do cook it over a gentle heat for at least three minutes to cook out the flour. It will look like dough. Gradually whisk in the milk.

Lumps will come and go, but a whisk sorts this out. Add the Dijon mustard, white wine and parsley. Check the seasoning – smoked fish will make it salty, but make sure your bechamel still has good flavour. Add your fish and mix well. The sauce will still be hot, so you’ll be able to mix the fish in very easily.

Chop the spuds into small chunks and put in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring up to the boil and cook until tender. Drain and put back in the pot with a tea-towel on top. This helps them to go light and fluffy when mashed. Add the butter, mash quickly and then mix in the cheese. Season very lightly.

Pour the fish mixture into a large gratin dish and top with a layer of spuds. Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is golden brown, then allow to settle for 10 minutes, and serve with peas on the side.

/NOTE/ This is taken from the great Domini Kemp, a fabulous Irish chef and author, and appeared in the Irish Times on Feb 28th 2009.

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