Fish

Fish pie

Name: Fish pie recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 60ml olive oil; 2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced, 500.00 ml fronds reserved (about 250g sliced fennel); 4 large eschalots, thinly sliced (about 250g sliced eschalots); 1 small leek, white part thinly sliced (about 100g sliced leek); 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 70g unsalted butter; 70g plain flour; 300ml fish or vegetable stock; 300ml milk, plus 2 tsp extra; 700g skinless, boneless white fish fillets (such as snapper, blue-eye, ling or flathead), cut into 3cm pieces; 200g hot smoked salmon fillets, broken into 3cm pieces; 6 large green prawns, peeled, deveined; 332.50 ml chopped herbs (we used dill, chives and flat-leaf parsley); Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon; 2 tsp wholegrain mustard; 1 x 375g sheet puff pastry (see note); 1 egg, lightly beaten

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by Michael James

Mar 16, 2023

"Perfect for a traditional Good Friday meal (or any day of the week), this pie is pure comfort, with varied flavours and textures making each mouthful a delight. Feel free to vary the ingredients according to what’s available at the market or fishmonger." – Michael James

1/4 cup (60ml) Woolworths Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced, 1/3 cup fronds reserved (about 250g sliced fennel)
4 large eschalots, thinly sliced (about 250g sliced eschalots)
1 small leek, white part thinly sliced (about 100g sliced leek)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
70g unsalted butter
70g plain flour
300ml fish or vegetable stock
300ml milk, plus 2 tsp extra
700g skinless, boneless white fish fillets (such as snapper, blue-eye, ling or flathead), cut into 3cm pieces
200g hot smoked salmon fillets, broken into 3cm pieces
6 large green prawns, peeled, deveined
1 1/3 cups chopped herbs (we used dill, chives and flat-leaf parsley)
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 x 375g sheet puff pastry (see note)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium- low heat. Add sliced fennel, eschalot, leek and garlic, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened but not browned. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
2.

To make the bechamel, return pan to medium heat and melt the butter. Add flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking, for 4-5 minutes until mixture darkens slightly and resembles sand.
3.

Add stock, whisking if required to get rid of any lumps. Whisk in milk, bring mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to a thick custard consistency. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
4.

Add fish, prawns and bechamel to the fennel mixture. Add herbs, fennel fronds, lemon zest and juice and mustard, and season to taste. Mix well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 29cm x 21.5cm (top measurement), 6cm-deep oval pie dish (3L capacity). Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
5.

Roll out puff pastry to a 4mm-thick rectangle. Place between 2 sheets of baking paper. Chill for 30 minutes. Remove pastry from fridge and remove top sheet of baking paper. To mark the top with ‘fish scales’, use a measuring spoon or melon baller to make gentle semi-circle indentations in a line along one edge of the pastry sheet. Ensure that you don’t pierce the pastry, rather, score it to leave a mark. Follow this with another line directly underneath, offsetting the scales above. Continue all the way down the pastry sheet, then return pastry to the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
6.

Slide pastry off baking paper to top the pie filling. Tuck edges in between the filling and the dish. Lightly beat egg and extra milk together. Brush pastry with eggwash and use a small sharp knife to make 3 steam holes in the top. Chill until ready to bake.
7.

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. If your pie dish is very full, place a tray on the bottom shelf of the oven to catch any bubbling sauce during baking. Bake, turning dish halfway, for 40-45 minutes, until pastry is flaky and golden. Rest pie for 10 minutes, then serve.

Reviews 2

Recipe Notes

You’ll need a 29cm x 21.5cm (top measurement), 6cm-deep oval pie dish (3L capacity), or similar volume.

Fish is expensive now, and so it should be, so make sure you use it all to stretch the value. Instead of buying fillets, you can ask your fishmonger to fillet the whole fish and give you the skin and bones as well. As you prepare, set aside the prawn shells and use them with the fish skin and bones to make a quick stock. To do this, place in a pan with any vegetable trimmings and cover it with water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes, then cool before straining.

You can use store-bought butter puff pastry (we use Carême), or use a half-quantity of James' homemade recipe here.