Fish Pie Recipe
by Tom Aikens
6
1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients

Fish pie

  • 20 mussels, cooked
  • 200g of salmon fillet, cut into 25g pieces
  • 4 hand-dived scallops, cut crossways into 3 pieces
  • 4 megrim sole fillets, cut in half
  • 8 monkfish escalopes, thinned with a mallet and cut in half
  • 5 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 handful of chives, chopped
  • salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground

White sauce

  • 75g of butter
  • 55g of flour
  • 700ml of milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 200g of onion, finely chopped
  • 100ml of white wine
  • 100ml of double cream
  • 50g of Gruyère, grated
  • 50g of Parmesan, grated
  • 2 tbsp of lemon juice
  • salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground

Mashed potato topping

  • 500g of potatoes, peeled and diced into 2.5cm cubes
  • 80g of butter
  • 100ml of milk, warmed
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 10g of salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground

Parsley crumb topping

  • 50g of white breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 handful of parsley leaves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 50g of Parmesan, grated
  • 50g of Gruyère
  • salt
  • black pepper, freshly ground
Method
1
To begin the fish pie, place the diced potatoes into 1 litre water with 8g salt in a pot or large saucepan. Place the pot on to the heat and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and then simmer the potatoes for 30 minutes
  • 500g of potatoes
  • 8g of salt
2
While the potatoes simmer, make the sauce. Place the milk and bay leaf in to a pan and bring the to the boil, then remove from heat. In another saucepan, melt 45g butter in a pan on a low heat then add the flour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
  • 700ml of milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 45g of butter
  • 55g of flour
3
Pour the hot milk little by little in to the flour and butter mix, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 8 minutes at a low temperature. Remove the bay leaf
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 2 tbsp of lemon juice
4
Melt the remaining 30g butter in a pan on a low heat and add the chopped onion. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes so they sweat and don’t colour. Add the wine and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by ⅔
  • 30g of butter
  • 200g of onion
  • 100ml of white wine
5
Add the white sauce, Parmesan, Gruyère and cream to the onions and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat. Place parchment paper on top of the sauce in the pan to prevent it from forming a skin, then set aside
  • 50g of Gruyère
  • 50g of Parmesan
  • 100ml of double cream
6
When the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander. Place the potatoes back in the pot and dry out on a low heat for 1 minute. Add the 80g butter while you mash the potatoes, then add 2g salt and warm milk to bring it together. Remove from the heat, then mix in the nutmeg and egg yolks
  • 80g of butter
  • 2g of salt
  • 100ml of milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch of ground nutmeg
7
For the parsley crumb topping, place the breadcrumbs in a food processor with the lemon zest, garlic, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper to season. Blitz until just coarsely chopped--no more than 20-30 seconds. Place the crumb mixture into a bowl and add the Parmesan and Gruyère
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 50g of white breadcrumbs
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 handful of parsley leaves
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 50g of Gruyère
  • 50g of Parmesan
8
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4 and put the mash into a piping bag with a large star nozzle
9
Simmer the fish pie sauce on the stove, then add the seasoned fish starting with the monkfish. Cook the monkfish in the sauce for 30 seconds, then add the megrim sole. Cook the sole for 30 seconds, then add the salmon fillets and scallop slices and cook for 30 seconds more
  • 200g of salmon fillet
  • 4 hand-dived scallops
  • 4 megrim sole fillets
  • 8 monkfish escalopes
10
Once the fish have cooked, add the mussels, chopped chives and sliced spring onions to warm through for a few seconds. Place the fish and sauce in a suitable pie dish and pipe on the warm mashed potato. Sprinkle over the crumb topping and bake for 15 minutes until the crumb topping melts and is golden in colour
  • 20 mussels
  • 1 handful of chives
  • 5 spring onions
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