Fish pie with a time-saving twist

**wvwvw** · 12-04-2014, 12:51 PM

A comforting bowl of mashed potatoes and creamy, cheesy fish – how can that not improve your day? This is a pie to be proud of.

You can make it in advance and just pop it in the oven – no last-minute nervous breakdowns, hurrah! The clever time-saving twist (crème fraîche instead of a roux sauce) means less washing up, too.

Serves 4
750g (1lb 10oz) red-skinned potatoes, such as Desiree
400g (14oz) mixed fish fillets – a mix of smoked and unsmoked haddock is traditional. Check the frozen food aisle in your supermarket
A few splashes of milk
4 peppercorns (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
A bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
A dash of vegetable oil
150g (5½oz) peeled prawns, cooked or uncooked, large or small, it’s up to you
2tbsp frozen peas
200ml (7fl oz) full-fat crème fraîche
100g (3½oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs
A large splash of milk
A chunk of butter

Peel and chop the potatoes, then boil in salted water until tender – usually about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place the fillets in a large frying pan and cover with milk.

Add a few peppercorns and a bay leaf, if you have one. Bring to the boil and simmer, keeping a close eye on it to make sure the milk doesn’t boil over.

Keep cooking until the fish is opaque. Once opaque, remove the fish from the milk and flake it off the skin using a fork. While you are doing this, give the fillets a feel with the tips of your fingers to make sure there are no bones.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Lightly fry the spring onions in the vegetable oil until translucent.

Add the prawns and cook until pink (or let them heat through if they are already cooked). Then throw in the peas. Pop the fish flakes in and take off the heat.

Add the crème fraîche and about three-quarters of the grated cheese, all the parsley, black pepper and a little salt. Chop the boiled eggs roughly and add. Then give the whole lot a stir, trying not to let the fish disintegrate too much, but covering everything with the crème fraîche.

Place the fish mixture in a 2ltr (3½pt) ovenproof dish or 4 individual ramekins. Take the cooked potatoes off the heat. Mash them until creamy and add milk and butter. Season well with salt and pepper (there’s nothing worse than under-seasoned mashed potato, so taste and check).

Place the mashed potato on top of the fish mix and spread over evenly. Using a fork, scrape the potato up and down in lines to make attractive little peaks. Scatter over the remaining cheese and pop in the oven for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve with a salad and some ketchup, if you like.