Fish Pie

Recipe courtesy of The Fish Monger’s Son by Anthony Yotis, Laura di Florio Yotis, Macmillan Publishers, RRP $49.99

We work with a pastry chef to create a fish pie that we sell frozen in our shop. This is our make-at-home version – a rustic take with chunky pieces of fish, carrot and potato. Fish pie is a lovely introduction to eating seafood.

SERVES 4–6

Ingredients

• 400 ml milk
• 100 ml white wine
• 100 ml dry sherry
• 100 ml fish stock (or water)
• 50 g salted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
• 1–2 tablespoons plain flour
• 180 g salmon fillet, skin off, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 180 g rock ling fillet, skin off, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 100 g smoked salmon, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 180 g raw prawn cutlets, tails off, cut into 2 cm chunks
• handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill fronds, or to taste
• salt flakes and freshly ground
• black pepper
• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ÅãC (conventional). Grease a 1.5–2 litre round ovenproof baking dish (25 Å~ 5 cm) with butter.

Combine the milk, wine, sherry and stock in a jug and set aside.

Place the butter and olive oil in a deep non-stick frying pan on the stove and turn to medium heat. Once the butter has mostly melted, add the onion and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the carrot and potato. Cook for 3–4 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until it dissolves, then add the liquid from the jug. Keep stirring slowly and steadily until it thickens, another 3–5 minutes.

Next, add the fish and prawns and cook for another 3–4 minutes, then stir in the parsley, lemon, dill and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat to cool for around 10 minutes.

Transfer the filling to the baking dish and lay the puff pastry on top. Gently press the edges of the puff pastry onto the outer edge of the dish, covering the rim. Trim off any overhanging pastry. Use a sharp knife to make a cross incision in the centre of the pastry for the steam to escape, being careful not to push the centre of the pastry down onto the filling.

Brush with the egg wash and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crunchy.

We love to eat this just as is, scooped out into shallow bowls, but sometimes we add some peas on the side (or you can even add them to the pie if you want more veg).

NOTE You can add to and swap around the fish selection in this pie. As a rule, we always use one red fish, one white fish, one smoked fish and the prawns for texture, but you can sub in scallops for prawns or add mussels or clams.