Just the Best Fish Pie
PUBLISHED: 06:05 12 May 2014
Fish pie. Photo: Angela Sharpe
Archant © 2009
Serves six
Velouté Sauce
60g butter
45g plain flour
600ml fish or light chicken stock
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes (to cook the flour through). Next, slowly add the stock, stirring constantly, and simmer for a good 20 minutes on a very low heat, stirring regularly so it doesn’t catch. Once cooked, cool.
1 banana shallot or medium onion, finely chopped
70g butter
90ml dry white wine
A dash of Nolly Prat or dry Martini
300ml fish or light chicken stock
150ml double cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp English mustard
450g haddock or cod fillet
225g monkfish fillet
8 queen scallops
225g large cooked prawns
90g grated cheese
60g breadcrumbs
A dust of cayenne
1 Soften the chopped shallot or onion in the butter in a sauté pan. Once it’s softened, pour in the alcohol, bring to the boil and reduce slightly. Add the stock and gently boil for 10 minutes, reducing by two thirds.
2 Warm through the velouté and add to the reduced stock, followed by the cream then the lemon and mustard. Stir well to make a smooth, creamy sauce. Taste and season. Stand and keep warm.
3 Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the fish into 2cm pieces and slice the scallops into four. Put the fish and scallops in a large gratin dish and cook in the hot oven for about 8 to 10 minutes till the fish starts to change colour.
4 Remove the gratin dish from the oven, turn the temperature up to 220C/gas mark 7, add the prawns and cover with the cream sauce. Mix the grated cheese and breadcrumbs together and evenly cover the fish and sprinkle with a little cayenne.
5 Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes to heat through and for the topping to crisp and colour.
6 In an Aga cook the fish and the fish pie on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven. You may need to move it nearer the top of the roasting oven to colour the top.
