Fish pie

Fish pie
Fish pie
Serves: 0
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 400g smoked haddock, cut into chunks (we use Woodcock Smokery)
  • 400g ling, skinned and cut into chunks
  • 200g double cream
  • 400ml whole milk
  • 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
  • Clove of garlic, smashed (Drummond House elephant garlic is best)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly sliced
  • 2tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2tbsp lovage, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 100g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
  • 50g Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese (or any strong Cheddar)
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook till tender. Drain and mash with half of the butter and 20ml of the double cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In another small pan, put the rest of the cream, the milk, onion, bay leaves and garlic. Set over a low heat and, once simmering, add the fish and poach for 6-8 minutes. Remove the fish from the liquid and put it in a suitably sized casserole dish. Save the poaching liquid.

In a wide saucepan melt the remaining 50g of butter. add the flour and cook the roux for 1-2 minutes, slowly add your poaching liquid and stir continuously until your bechamel sauce is nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper and add the nutmeg.

Add the parsley, lovage and scallions to the fish in the casserole dish. Pour over the bechamel. Spoon on the mash and fluff with a fork. Put the cheese on top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy

Jess Murphy, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a Kiwi chef living on the west coast of Ireland