1 thickly sliced small onion 2 cloves 1 bay leaf 600ml milk 300ml double cream 450g unskinned cod fillets 225g undyed smoked cod 4 eggs 100g butter 45g plain flour 5 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg 1.25kg peeled potatoes like maris piper or King Edwards 1 egg yolk Sea salt and fresh ground white pepper
I have never discovered the need to put hard boiled eggs in a fish pie, but I realise that’s my taste so the eggs are included in the recipe as an optional eggstra As for fish pie, I love it, and I’m perfectly happy to feel a nip in the air so that I can justify it. There are quicker fish pie recipes but this is a bit special.
Chatsworth Farm Shop do a fish pie mix, all fresh fish, ready cut up. Its not cheating just a short cut.
Gather your ingredients and tools for the job before you begin. Sauce pan, shallow 1.75ltr / 3 pint oven proof dish, cutting board, knife, potato peeler, potato ricer or masher, sieve, skimmer or fish slice, jug.
Take a couple of the onion slices and stud them with cloves, put the onion slices in a large saucepan with the bay leaf, 450g of the milk, the cream and the cod and smoked cod (or haddock). Bring to the boil and then simmer for 8 minutes. Lift the fish out on to a plate and strain the liquid into a jug. When the fish cooled enough, break it into large flakes and throw away the skin and any bones. Now sprikle it over the base of the ovenproof dish.
If required, hard boil the eggs for 8 minutes, drain and leave to cool. Peel and cut them into chunky slices and arrange on top of the fish.
Melt 50g of the butter in the pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir in the liquid from the jug. Return the pan to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Leave it to simmer for 10 minutes to cook out the flour. Remove from the heat one more time, stir in the parsley and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Now pour the sauce over the fish and leave it to cool. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, drain, mash and add the rest of the butter and the egg yolk. Season with salt and ground white pepper. Now beat in enough of the remaining milk to make a soft, spreadable mash.
Preheat the oven to 200c or 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.
This recipe credit : Rick Stein