Traditional fish pie

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.25kg potatoes, peeled

100g butter

1 egg yolk

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 small onion, thickly sliced

1 bay leaf

Approx 550ml milk

300ml double cream

450g unskinned haddock fillets

225g undyed smoked haddock fillets

45g plain flour

5 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

 

Method:

Place the potatoes in boiling water and boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain, mash and add half the butter and the egg yolk. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Add about 100ml milk until the mash is soft and spreadable.

Put the onion slices in a large pan with the bay leaf, 450ml of the milk, the cream, and the smoked and unsmoked haddock. Bring just to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Lift the fish out on to a plate and strain the milk and cream into a jug.

Break the fish into large flakes, checking for any bones. Place the fish into a shallow 1.75 litre ovenproof dish.

Melt the remaining butter in a pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in the reserved milk and cream. Return to the heat and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time.

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.

Spoon the potato over the filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until piping hot and golden brown.