Fish pie

Fish pie is basically poached fish, mixed into a white sauce and topped with mashed potato.  It can contain a variety of different fish both fresh and smoked – white fleshed and pink – sea fish and shell fish.  Haddock is regarded as being the most suitable.  Inclusion of mushrooms extends the range of flavours.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 85 Mins

Total Time: 105 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

                     Fish  - cooked, flaked 

60 cl                White sauce            

                     Mushrooms  - sautéed

450 gms           Potatoes  - mashed   

For cooking the fish

450 gms           Fish  - cod, haddock or hake     

½                   Onion  - sliced         

1                    Bouquet garni         

                     Milk         

For the white sauce

30 gms            Butter       

1 os                Flour        

60 cl                Poaching liquor  - from the fish 

110 ml             Wine  - dry white     

                     Pepper  - freshly ground, white 

                     Salt          

To sauté the mushrooms

60 gms            Mushrooms  - sliced  

30 gms            Butter       

For the mashed potatoes

450 gms           Potatoes    

                     Salt          

                     Pepper      

60 gms            Butter       

                     Milk         

To finish

                     Cheese      

                     Butter       

Method

To cook the fish…

Poach the fish gently with an onion and a bouquet garni in half milk, half water for 10 minutes.  Take out the fish and flake it.  Reserve the cooking liquid for the white sauce.

To make the white sauce…

Melt the butter over low heat - not allowing it to brown.  Stir in the flour, being careful that it does not colour and stirring till the roux is absolutely smooth and no separate flour or melted butter is visible.

Add the strained fish cooking liquid a very little at a time, stirring each addition in until it is taken up by the roux.  Half way through adding the fish cooking liquid add the wine and stir it in.  When all the liquid is taken up, add salt and pepper and simmer very gently for 3 minutes.

To sauté the mushrooms…

Cook the mushrooms in the butter until they soften and their liquid has evaporated.

To cook the mashed potatoes…

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft.  Dry them over a low heat.  Mash them with pepper and butter and enough milk to give a thick and smooth texture.

To assemble and cook the fish pie.

Heat an oven to 180°C.

Mix the fish into the sauce with prawns and the sautéed mushrooms.  Check the seasoning. Put the sauce into buttered fireproof dish.  When cool, lay the mashed potato evenly all over the top.  Smooth it over, roughen it with a fork, sprinkle it with grated cheese and generously dot with butter.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then increase heat to 200°C for a further 10 minutes to brown the top well.

Wine recommendations

          A dry white wine.

  Conventional

           Picpoul de Pinet

  Interesting

           Chablis

           Mâcon

           Riesling