Club Recipe: Classic Fish Pie

Preparation time: 13-15 minutes

Cooking time: 45-50 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 200g Smoked haddock
• 200g Cod
• 200g Salmon fillet
• 200g Prawns
• 50g Butter (plus extra for greasing)
• 1kg Potatoes (peeled and cut into even-sized chunks)
• 1 Onion (quartered)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 600ml Semi-skimmed milk
• 320g Frozen peas (thawed)
• 50g Plain flour
• 25g Cheddar cheese (grated)
• Chives (chopped, to garnish)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6 and lightly grease a large oven-proof dish
2. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of water for 15-20 minutes until soft and cooked through
3. While the potatoes are boiling, put the fish, onions and bay leaves in a shallow pan and pour over 500ml of the milk, then bring the milk just to the boil and cover the pan
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes until the fish is cooked through
5. Once the fish is cooked, lift it onto a plate and flake into large pieces
6. Arrange in the prepared dish and spoon over the peas
7. Remove the onion and bay leaves from the milk and strain the poaching milk into a jug
8. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for one minute over a low to moderate heat
9. Take off the heat, pour in a little of the poaching milk, then stir until blended
10. Continue to add the poaching milk gradually, mixing well until you have a smooth sauce
11. Return to the heat, bring to the boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens (it should coat the back of a spoon)
12. Remove the sauce from the heat and season with black pepper then pour the sauce over the fish and peas
13. When the potatoes are cooked, drain, season and then mash them with the remaining 100ml of fresh milk
14. Top the pie with the mashed potatoes, starting at the edge of the dish and working your way in, pushing the mash right to the edges of the dish to seal
15. Fluff the top with a fork, sprinkle with the cheese, then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the baking dish you are using
16. Serve with your favourite vegetables, garnish with chives