Recently, enough visits to the doctor’s made everyone in my household realize that we all need to watch our cholestrol levels. One of the advice given by the dietician (long story) was to have fish much more frequently in a week.
A few days prior, Mummy was also craving Shepherd’s Pie but felt very disappointed when I told her Shepherd’s Pie is typically made with lamb filling. Still I think she was more fascinated by the idea of a pie topped with yummy mashed potatoes, and given our recent directive to move towards a more omega-3-rich diet, I looked up a recipe for fish pie and found this one by Kitchen Sanctuary so simple yet interesting.
The Covid-19 pandemic basically forced us to adapt to a new norm, and as more and more people resorted to cooking their own meals at home we were seeing an increase in businesses offering premium raw meats and seafood online. I bought some really good salmon and cod from Seafood Maestro and fresh shrimp from @faharseafood, and got to work on the pie immediately.
The results were amazing. Despite the potatoes, cheese, cream and butter, things I expected would make the dish very rich, the pie came out so light and oh so flavorful. Add to that the wonderful taste of the fish and shrimp, full of their natural sweetness, all of us couldn’t stop at just one helping. So Mummy managed to have her potato-topped pie, and we still managed to meet our weekly fish quota.
Try this out guys, this recipe does not disappoint!
Fish Pie
Ingredients
- 1 kg russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon cheddar cheese powder (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
- 600 ml full cream milk
- 500 grams (about 2) boneless salmon fillets
- 500 grams (about 2) boneless cod fillets
- 500 grams (about 15) large shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 150 grams mature (extra tasty) cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 stalk green onion, sliced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (fan 180 degrees C).
In a large pot, add the potatoes and enough cold water to cover.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat then simmer, until potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, 15 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, the cream, the cheese powder if using, salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper.
Mash the potatoes until smooth and all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium high heat, add the milk, salmon and cod. Bring to a simmer and cook, undisturbed, until fish is cooked and starting to flake apart, 2 minutes.
Add the shrimp and cook, until shrimp has just turned pink, 1 minute.
Transfer the fish and shrimp to a large 9- by 13-inch baking dish. I only had a 14-inch oval dish, which was a little too big.
If using skin-on fillets, remove and discard the skins. Further break apart the fish into chunks.
Pour the cooking liquid into a jug, and set aside.
Return the pot over medium heat, and add the remaining butter.
When the butter has melted, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
In a long, thin stream, whisk or stir in the reserved cooking liquid. Continue cooking, stirring, until sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Stir in 75 grams of the shredded cheddar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
Pour the sauce over the fish and shrimp mixture, and spread evenly.
Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling.
Using a fork, spread out the filling and make line patterns.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese.
Transfer to the oven and bake, until cheese is melted and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Garnish with sliced green onions.
Serve warm, with a side of crusty bread.
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