Classic Fish Pie

This is one of my absolute favourites and the first recipe on here because of it, my Mum has been cooking it for years and I'm pretty sure she got it from hers, who in turn got it from my Great Grandmother who probably learnt it the same way. My culinary genealogy doesn't stretch that far back unfortunately, so whether Mrs Beeton may have stuck her oar in at one point I'm not sure. Although I have checked the copy of 'Mrs Beeton's Everyday Cookbook' on my shelf at home given to my Great Grandmother by her Grandmother for Christmas (To My darling Connie, From Grandma Xmas 1928), and the recipe seems very different indeed -

Ingredients - 1 lb each of cold fish and mashed potatoes, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs, 4 oz of finely chopped suet, enough milk to reduce the mixture to the consistency of very thick batter, salt and pepper.

Method - Chop fish coarsely, mix it with the potatoes and suet, add a liberal seasoning of salt and pepper, the eggs and milk, and beat well. Turn in a greased pie dish, and cook in a moderate oven for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve in the dish in which it is baked.

Time - About 2 hours. Sufficient for 6-7 persons.  

83 years later and the recipe couldn't be more different, more ingredients, less time, and hopefully much tastier now that I've added a few bits of my own.

Ingredients: (Serves 6) 

Smoked Haddock Fillet

Salmon Fillet

Cod Fillet (1 lb of fish pie mix from the Deli will do it) 

12 King Prawns, ready cooked and shelled

3 eggs (2 hard boiled)

5 Medium size Potatoes for Mashing

1 Leek, roughly chopped

125g Mature Farmhouse Cheddar, grated

40ml Double Cream

450ml Semi Skimmed Milk

75g Salted Butter

80g Plain Flour

1 tspn Nutmeg, ground

1/2 tspn Cinnamon, ground

Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes, chop them into halves and put them in a pan with cold, salted water and bring them to the boil over a high heat. When the water is hot enough throw in a couple of the eggs for five minutes to hard boil them and save water. 

2. While the Potatoes are cooking chop the leeks roughly, cover with pre-boiled water and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.

    

3. In a pie dish lay out the cubed fish mix and prawns evenly and give a couple of turns of black pepper.

4. To make the White Sauce (Roux) put a saucepan over a medium heat and melt 50g of the butter until it has all become liquid, add the 80g of plain flower and mix together using a whisk. It should turn thick and lumpy, when this happens pour in a little of the milk and whisk gently till it thickens. Continue to do this until you have a thick smooth sauce and have used all of the milk. 

5. Keep the white sauce over a medium heat and mix in 100g of the Cheddar until it has melted, then add the leeks and the hard boiled eggs, shelled and cut into 8 wedges, along with a tspn of ground nutmeg. Stir thoroughly and pour over the fish.

6. When the potatoes are cooked strain them and return to the pan, add the remaining butter, cream, egg (the heat from the potatoes will cook the raw egg) and a few turns of salt and pepper and 1/2 a tspn of cinnamon. Mash well and cover the fish, spreading evenly with a fork. 

7. Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees Centigrade and cook for 20 minutes, remove and sprinkle the remaining cheese and a little nutmeg and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the pie is golden. Garnish with a little parsley and serve piping hot with ketchup. I don't have the sauce with much, but it belongs with this pie.