Fish Pie

 

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, thickly sliced
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 600 ml milk
  • 300 ml double cream
  • 450 g unskinned cod fillet
  • 225 g undyed smoked cod fillet
  • 4 eggs
  • 100 g  butter
  • 45 g plain flour
  • 5 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1.25 kg peeled floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Salt and freshly ground white pepper
 

Directions

  1. Stud a couple of onion slices with the cloves.  Put the onion slices in a large pan with the bay leaf, 450 ml of the milk, the cream, cod and smoked haddock.  Bring just to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes.  Lift the fish out on to a plate and strain the cooking liquor into a jug.  When the fish is cool enough to handle, break it into large flakes, discarding the skin and bones.  Sprinkle it over the base of a shallow 1.75 litre ovenproof dish.
  2. Hard-boil the eggs for just 8 minutes, then drain and leave to cook.  Peel and cut them into chunky slices and arrange on top of the fish.
  3. Melt 50g of the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in the reserved cooking liquor.  Return it to the heat and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time. : Leave it to simmer gently for 10 minutes to cook out the flour.  Remove from the heat once more, stir in the parsley and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.  Pour the sauce over the fish and leave to cool.  Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
  4. Boil the potatoes for 15 - 20 minutes.  Drain, mash, add the rest of the butter and the egg yolk and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper.  Beat in enough of the remaining milk to form a soft, spreadable mash.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6.  Spoon the potato over the filling and mark the surface with a fork.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until piping hot and golden brown.

Alternative fish:  Try making this with haddock and smoked haddock.