I had never heard of a Fish Pie before I moved to London—and actually, the idea of it doesn't appeal to me—so even though we have it on our Bumpkin menus, it took me a while to try it. But as soon as I did, I was hooked. (No pun intended!) It is both fresh and filling. I love serving my individual fish pies with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. AND I always make a bit extra, as inevitably everyone wants seconds. My toddler is also a huge fan (especially of the crab claw on top).
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 hours 45 min
Servings: 4
Cook time: 1 hours 45 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
To Serve: 4 people
- 4 individual pie dishes – approximately 4'' wide and 1'' – 2'' deep
Fish
- 1 kg (35 ounces) natural smoked haddock
- 200g (7 ounces) smoked salmon
- 18 shelled prawns
- 200g (7 ounces) salmon
- 8 crab claws
Sauce
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 litre (4 1/4 cups) milk
- 200g (7 ounces) diced shallots
- 150g (11 tbsp) butter
- 150g (2/3 cup) flour
- 100 ml (½ cup) white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
Potato Mash
- 1 kg (2.2 pounds) red rooster potatoes peeled & diced
- 200 ml (3/4 cup) double cream
- 50g (4 tablespoons) butter
- ½ nutmeg grated
- Salt & pepper to taste
Crab Claw
- 200g (1 cup) white flour
- 4 eggs
- 200g (1 cup) fine breadcrumbs
- 100ml (1/2 cup) milk
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil
Garnish
- Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- Handful of fresh samphire, chopped
- 6 boiled eggs, diced
- 200g (7 ounces) fresh garden peas
- 250g (8 ounces) grated cheddar cheese (Montgomery cheese recommended)
- Breaded crab claw
Directions:
To make the sauce:
Step 1: Bring the milk to a boil then add in the smoked haddock.
Step 2: Remove from heat and set aside for 20 minutes so that the haddock absorbs the milk.
Step 3: Remove the haddock from the milk but do not discard the milk.
Step 4: Melt the butter in a large pan. Add in diced shallots and cook slowly until translucent for 3 minutes.
Step 5: Add in the flour and mix until a sandy texture is achieved.
Step 6: Add in the haddock-infused milk, bay leaves and white wine. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Set aside and allow to cool.
To make the mash:
Step 1: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.
Step 2: Once the water is boiling, add your potatoes and cook for approximately 12 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Stick a fork in the potatoes to check.
Step 3: Remove instantly and drain the water. Leave the potatoes to air dry for 10 minutes before mashing them with a potato ricer to get a smooth finish.
Step 4: Add the cream, butter, and nutmeg, and keep warm in pot with a lid on low heat.
To make the crab claws:
Step 1: Add the milk and eggs and whisk together.
Step 2: Dip each claw individually into the flour, then into the egg mix, and finally into the breadcrumbs.
Step 3: Heat fryer to 180C (350F) and fry crab claws until golden brown just before serving.
Fish Pie assembly directions:
Step 1: To build your fish pie, divide the smoked salmon, fresh salmon, prawns and haddock evenly between each dish.
Step 2: Then top each pie with sauce.
Step 3: Then divide the diced eggs, peas and samphire evenly between each dish.
Step 4: Next top each pie with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle each with parsley, then grated cheese and cook in oven at 180C (350F) for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 5: Top with two fried crab claws in each pie.
