That's a new one on me! Please tell me you weren't eating bubble gum while you were making it!
Try this one instead ...
FISH PIE
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
375g of old potatoes*
1 onion
250ml of water
¼ of a teaspoon of salt
250ml of milk
350g of white fish**
2 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
½ a tablespoon of parsley
Salt and ground pepper to taste
½ a tablespoon of butter
½ a tablespoon of milk
Ground pepper to taste
METHOD
Peel the potatoes and chop them into quarters. Peel the onion and chop it into tiny pieces.
Put the water and salt into a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the potatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Put the lid on the saucepan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until soft. Check the water level from time to time and top up if it starts to dry out.
While the potatoes are cooking, put the 250ml of milk, fish and onion into a frying pan on a medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes until the fish is firm and opaque.
Strain the milk through a sieve or colander into a bowl. Put the fish and onion onto a plate. Break the fish into small pieces. Throw away the skin and bones.
Drain the potatoes and mash with the ½ a tablespoon of butter and the ½ a tablespoon of milk until it is smooth and lump free. Season with the pepper.
Put the 2 tablespoons of butter into the saucepan the fish was cooked in on a medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for a minute, stirring all the time. Take off the heat. Add the milk the fish was cooked in a bit at a time. Stir each time to make sure it is smooth. When all the milk has been added, put the pan back on the heat. Bring to the boil. Keep stirring. Turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
Add the fish, onions and parsley and stir. Season with the pepper.
Put the fish mixture into an ovenproof dish. Level off the surface. Put the mashed potato on top. Spread to cover the fish mixture. Make artistic swirls in the mashed potato. This increases the surface area and makes the top crisper.
Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes until golden on top.
ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES
Use a packet of white or parsley sauce mix according to the instructions on the packet, but substituting some of the liquid for the milk the fish was cooked in.
Use 100g of cooked prawns instead of 100g of the fish and add them to the fish mixture when you assemble the pie.
Add a chopped hard-boiled egg to the fish mixture when you assemble the pie.
Sprinkle 50g of grated Cheddar cheese on top of the potato, or even into it as it being mashed.
TIPS
The trick with the sauce is to keep stirring.
- New potatoes make rubbish mashed potato. Use old ones like King Edward’s or Desiree Reds.
** Use cod, coley, haddock, hake, ling, plaice, pollack or whiting fillets. I like to include some smoked and/or dyed fish, because the smoked fish makes it taste nicer and the dyed fish makes it look prettier.