Fish Pie with Potato Pastry Crust August 20, 2018

This fish pie recipe is made with a crust of mashed potatoes and filled with a creamy fish filling – the ultimate winter comfort food. Check out the original recipe here.

INGREDIENTS

 The Filling

• 100g butter
• 225g (about 1 large) leek, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, halved
• 450ml milk
• 300ml cream
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 600g fresh thick boneless, skinless white fish fillets
• 225g smoked fish fillet
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 45g plain flour
• 75g mild cheddar, grated
• 4 tbsp chopped parsley
• Freshly grated nutmeg

The Potato Pastry

• 350g potatoes, cut into chunks
• 225g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 175g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1½-2 tbsp cold water
• 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze

METHOD

1. Cook the potatoes for the pastry in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain well, then mash until smooth. Leave to go cold.
2. For the filling, melt 50g of the butter in a saucepan. Add the leek and season lightly, then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until just soft.
3. Cut the onion in half and put into a wide shallow pan. Add the milk, cream, bay leaves and fish. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Lift the fish onto a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain the milk mixture into a jug.
4. Flake the cooled fish into a bowl in large pieces along with the smoked fish for extra flavour. Stir in the cooked leeks. Boil the eggs then drain and leave to cool. Peel and thickly slice.
5. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, then stir in the plain flour and cook gently for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the strained milk mixture and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese and parsley, then taste and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cool slightly.
6. Stir three quarters of the sauce into the fish mixture, then spoon it into a deep pie dish. Put a pie funnel in the centre of the filling and arrange the eggs on top. Pour over the rest of the sauce, then set the pie dish aside.
7. To make the pastry, sift the self-raising flour into a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Add the chilled butter and whizz briefly until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the cold mashed potato and mix quickly using the pulse button. Then add the water stir gently until the mixture starts to stick together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface, bring together gently into a ball, then knead very briefly until just smooth.
8. Heat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a circle slightly larger than the top of the pie dish, then cut a small cross in the centre for the pie funnel. Lay the large pastry round over the dish so the funnel pokes through the cross. Trim away the excess pastry, then crimp the edges  to form a seal.
9. Brush the top of the pie all over with beaten egg, then decorate with little fish cut from the pastry trimmings or a sprinkle of cheese. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pastry is an even golden brown. Remove the pie funnel and serve. Serves 4-6.

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