Fish Pie, Oh My!

Has it really been four months since my last post?  It has! And I can hardly believe it!  Winter has come and gone, and here we are nearing the end of spring; with June now officially at our doorstep! I do hope you've been keeping well.  Spring is in full swing here, in all its glory, and I'm enjoying every minute of it!  I hope you have been, too?

I want to share with you a recipe I tested for the first time yesterday - fish pie!  I happened upon this simple, yet delicious recipe while searching for some dinner inspiration and found it on the BBC Good Food website.  I posted a picture of the finished pie on Instagram last night.  Several friends asked me for the recipe, so here it is! 

Keep in mind, that I followed the recipe for the most part, but did tweak it a little, as I often do.

Ingredients

800g skinless white fish fillet (I used 5 pollock fillets)
600ml whole full-fat milk (I used 400ml 2% milk, 200ml 10% cream)
1 small onion, peeled, quartered
4 cloves
2 bay leaves

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1 small bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped

100g butter
50g plain flour
salt and pepper to taste
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
1 kg potatoes, peeled and evenly cubed (I used 5 large russet potatoes)
50g shredded cheddar cheese ( I used marble cheddar)

Directions

Place fish fillets in a large skillet and pour in 500ml of milk/cream. Set aside the leftover 100ml for the mashed potatoes later.

Add quartered onions, cloves and bay leaves into the skillet.  Bring the milk just to a boil.  When bubbles begin to appear, lower the heat to low and simmer for approximately 6 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Flake the fish into large chunks into a square casserole dish. Strain the milk mixture into a bowl or large measuring cup, discarding the onion, bay leaves and cloves.  Set aside the milk mixture to cool.  

Arrange the quartered egg slices evenly over the flaked fish.  Scatter the chopped parsley over top. Set aside.

For the sauce  Melt 50g of the butter (the other 50g you will use for the mashed potatoes) in a pan, stir in the flour, and cook for one minute, over medium heat, stirring all the while.  Slowly pour in a ladle of the milk mixture you previously set aside.  Continue to stir and slowly add in the remaining milk mixture.  Stir until the sauce is nice and smooth.  Return mixture to heat and bring to a boil, lower heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Season with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. Pour the sauce into the casserole over the fish.

For the mashed potatoes Boil potatoes until tender, but not falling apart. Drain water and season with salt/pepper and the remaining 100ml milk and 50g butter. Mash until fluffy.  Top the pie with the mashed potatoes, making sure to seal the edges.  Fluff the mashed potatoes with a fork and evenly sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over top.

Place the fish pie in a preheated 375 degrees F (or 200 degrees C) oven. Be sure to lay a sheet of aluminum foil under it, just in case any of the filling leaks out.  It's better to be safe than sorry! Bake the pie for 30 minutes.  The cheese topping will be glorious.  I served the pie with a spring mix salad.  It was absolutely delicious!  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  We all loved it and I'm already looking forward to the next time I make it!