Fabulous Fish Pie

This is my show off Dinner party number. It is rich and comforting. The dish is basically an assembly of layers of yummy components [while they are cold]. So it can be prepared in advance and then popped into the oven when the guests arrive. It is a matter of getting fresh ingredients on the day, preparing everything ahead and then putting it all together in a specific order. The decadence of this dish is all to do with big chunks of fish, juicy prawns and simple flavours.

The stars of the show

Ingredients: You need a deep pie dish for this

Pie filling:
Jumbo cooked peeled prawns - tails on.*
White fish fillet - something like Whiting, Flake, Haddock or Pollock - check no bones
Oily fish fillet - e.g. Salmon - check no bones
Carrot x 1 or 2 - finely diced
Leek x 1 - finely diced
Celery x 1 - finely diced
Onion/Spring onions - finely diced
Garlic clove [optional]
2 dried bay leaves
Milk [Skimmed]
Creme Fraiche/ Thickened cream **
3 or 4 eggs - boiled cooled peeled and cut in half
cup of frozen peas

* I take the tails off when I wash the prawns and check the black residue along the prawn has been removed. I pop the tails into a pan with a little bit of water and bring to the boil, then simmer to create a stock. This can be used to lighten the sauce of the pie filling if it is too thick or just stored/frozen to use another day.

** If you are watching your waist line, ditch the creme fraiche [even though this is less fat than cream] or cream. You can thicken the sauce with a little cornflour if you are not gluten intolerant.

You can of course not use anything at all but the sauce may be a little runny unless you reduce it down to very little.

Pie Topping:
Potatoes* - Boiled, drained, slightly steam dried then mashed with Olive oil/Canola oil and skimmed milk OR with tonnes of butter : Depending on how you like your mash.

I like my mash to be done with olive oil [lots of it - Spanish style!] and skimmed milk with a dollop of Dijon mustard, then an egg yolk when it is slightly cooled - quickly beaten in to create a silky mix that sets well on the pie.

*To create a low carb low fat topping, I use steamed Cauliflower - mashed with Dijon mustard and a drop of olive oil. Season well. Another option is a layer of Courgettes that have been lightly oiled and seasoned.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Prep the veg and place on a low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or canola/rapeseed oil and gently soften. Season with salt and pepper. You can grate in the garlic to this mix of veg if you are using it.

2. In another pan place the eggs in cold water and bring to the boil. Allow 15min exactly from the moment you place the eggs on the heat to boiling then plunge the eggs in cold water for a minute [they will have boiled for about 7 - 8 minutes altogether]. The eggs will peel easily and you can cut them aside and set aside to cool.

3. Prep the prawns [i.e. remove the tails and wash & check they are all clean] and since they are already cold - place them at the bottom of your pie dish as the 1st layer along with the cooled egg halves.

4. So now for the Fish: Place the fillets in enough cold milk to just cover. Place in 2 dried bay leaves. Then gently allow the milk to heat up on the lowest heat on the hob. You want the fish to be slightly underdone - just starting to go opaque [they will finish cooking when the pie is heated through in the oven before serving]. Remove from the heat and drain - reserve the milk, discard the bay leaves. Allow the fish to cool.

5. Meanwhile the veg should be soft [but not coloured] - add the warm drained poaching milk to the sauce and start to reduce gently.

6. When you are happy with the consistency of the sauce, switch the heat off and add the creme fraiche or cream if using [continue to reduce if you want to thicken it more otherwise set aside to cool]. If you are not using creme fraiche or cream, dissolve some cornflour in a bit of cold water, add to the mix and thicken the sauce in that way.

7. Meanwhile the fish should be cold enough to handle [if not go away and have a cup of tea]. Remove any skin and cut into thick chunks. Place the fish as the next layer. Sprinkle over finely chopped parsley and scatter the frozen peas on.

8. Check the sauce has cooled completely to room temperature. Then pour over the filling so that it gets into all the layers.

9. Make the topping of your choice and allow to cool before you place it on the pie as the final layer. The pie can then be set aside till you are ready. When you are, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Then place the pie in, reduce the heat to 180 degrees C and leave for 35 - 40 min. Check that it is bubbling, and take it out when you have some colour on the topping. Allow to cool slightly before serving [it may be too hot to eat straight away without taking off a few layers of skin from the roof of your mouth]. You can serve with a crisp green salad simply dressed with lemon and olive oil. Frankly it is such a rich dish that you probably won't need anything else with it other than a cold Reisling or Pinos Gris!

Courgette Slices on top of this one!

This one has Cauliflower mash on top

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nutritional Points:

Well without even taking into account the Vegetable topping options, the Fish Pie actually contains loads of healthy vegetables! If you keep the sauce light and use creme fraiche instead of cream or the cornflour option then you are making a really healthy version.

If you indulge in a buttery mash with the pie then it will taste amazing but definitely be infinitely more calorific especially if you add cheese on top or add cream to the sauce. Since this would be a special occasion dish it does not really matter too much if you do go for a rich mashed potatoes - just watch the butter/cream/cheese amounts. I never put cheese on top - I don't think it is necessary and I also feel that Fish and Cheese don't really go together!

Please note that it is a myth that eating foods rich in cholesterol will raise your blood cholesterol. So prawns and eggs DO NOT raise blood choloesterol as much as Saturated fats do [i.e. butter/cream/cheese]. When we eat cholesterol rich foods, the body compensates by reducing the cholesterol produced by the liver. Seafood, eggs and fish are low in Saturated fats and high in proteins, minerals and Omega 3 fatty acids.

The Omega 3 fatty acids protect us against heart disease. It is found mainly in oily fish and can reduce blood pressure, reduce the unhealthy triglycerides in our blood as well as increasing the good cholesterol in our systems. [The plant source of omega 3's include linseeds, soybeans, canola oil. So you could use Canola oil/margarine to richen the mash instead of butter.]