Prep: 30 min // Bake: 30 min
About
There’s nothing more comforting than a warming fresh fish pie during the cold months. Sweet, super healthy leeks thrive during winter (in season October to March) and combined with potato mash and cheesy textures make it a pure food for the soul. This dish is a typical English meal that Britain can be proud of giving to the world. We, Mediterraneans living in the UK, appreciate it and honour it much ;-) Moreover, I find this pie is one of the best ways to introduce fish and seafood to a baby toddler when weaning but also a family weekend superfood being rich in omega fats, and the goodness of leek (vitamins A, B, C, K, iron and manganese).
Recipe
There are plenty of recipes out there which as you will notice reading through, are more or less similar with small variations in herbs, types of fish, and the addition of other seafood (e.g. prawns). But what is the secret to the best-ever-tasting fish pie that makes my recipe stand out? Well, in my version of this marvellous dish I introduce tasty dijon mustard, parmesan and matured cheddar in the filling, and a potato mash infused with Mediterranean truffle oil in the topping. It’s relatively easy to make, you cook everything in a pot and lay it in an ovenproof dish to bake. How wrong can that go? Just make sure you buy some good quality ingredients (my recommendations at the end of this post).
Ingredients (6-8 servings)
For the filling:
500g skinless-boneless haddock fillets (or any other firm white fish)
250g skinless-boneless salmon fillets
2 leeks
100g plain flour
80g unsalted butter
100g Philadelphia light
800ml low-fat milk
1 handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
50g grated parmesan (or Greek Graviera)
50g grated cheddar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard (will give flavour - not spiciness in this quantity)
½ tsp nutmeg
1 unwaxed lemon, juice and zest
1 handful of capers (optionally)
Salt and pepper
For the truffle mash:
1kgr floury potatoes (around 4 large ones)
60ml low-fat milk
50g unsalted butter
1 tbsp truffle oil (or any other infused oil - or simply olive oil)
Few gratings nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Method
Take a moment to read through all the steps before starting, and make sure you’ve got all the ingredients ready.
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 to 2-inch chunks (so they quickly boil) and add them into a pot (with a matching lid) of boiling water. Cover and boil for 15 min.
While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the rest: top and tail your leeks, remove the outer layers and finely slice them. Finely slice the dill and set aside. Remove skins and any remaining bones from the fish fillets and cut them into bite-size chunks. Measure 800ml milk and warm it up in the microwave.
In a large pan under medium heat melt 80g butter with some olive oil and start sweating your leeks in low heat. When softened, add the flour and whisk continuously until the leeks are covered. Add the milk little by little, stirring continuously until you have a smooth thick sauce.
When the sauce starts bubbling add the Philadelphia, all the dill, the parmesan and cheddar, the 2 tbsp mustard, 1 lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper and stir until everything melts and blends.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir the fish chunks in and set aside to cool down until you prepare the mash.
Preheat your oven to 200c (180c fan).
Make the truffle mash: in the pot with the boiled and drained potatoes add the butter, milk, the truffle oil, nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and mash them with a potato masher until smooth.
Pour the fish mixture into a large ovenproof dish and spread the potato mash on top evenly. Run a fork over the surface to make patterns (I like sea waves) and bake for around 30-35 min until it’s golden and edges slightly charred on top.
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