Fish Pie Recipe with Mashed Potato and Bechamel
Great Dinner Party or Family Meal and Good Lesson for Learner Cooks
Sep 7, 2009
When a friend served this classic fish pie for lunch at her house recently, it occurred to me that this recipe has hugely wide ranging appeal.
It could be served on upmarket dinnerware with an elegant garnish to grace any dinner party. But it would be just as much a hit as an everyday family meal, scooped straight out of the baking dish from the kitchen servery.
Smooth and tasty with a creamy sauce and delicately flavoured vegetables, it makes a perfect baby food (just remember to remove any of the egg white for the under 1's).
It also makes an ideal lesson for beginner cooks. Numerous basic cookery skills are called upon including the selection of a suitable fish (here's an opportunity to teach about sustainably managed fish varieties), the making of a white/bechamel sauce, mashing potatoes, hard boiling eggs, sauteeing vegetables, using leeks, and even using a piping bag (should you choose to do so).
Then there's the challenge of finding the most efficient way of combining all these tasks for the quickest end result. A working order is suggested here but if this recipe is being used as a lesson, perhaps don't reveal it. Leave it to the learner to decide the best sequence of preparation.
Recipe for Fish Pie
Serves 6.
Ingredients:
- 6 boneless white fish fillets (look for sustainably managed varieties)
- 6 hard boiled eggs
- 4 fresh shallots finely chopped
- 1 leek finely sliced
- handful chopped fresh parsley (the flat leaved Italian variety is my preference)
- half litre milk
- 2 - 3 tblsp butter
- 2 tblsp white flour
- half teaspoon mustard
- cheese (optional)
- breadcrumbs (optional)
Preparation:
- Boil the potatoes ready for mashing and hard boil the eggs while preparing the rest of the recipe. (Learner cooks could be tasked with deciding their own order of working.)
- Sautee until transparent but not brown, the shallots with the leek.
- Mash the potatoes. Peel the eggs and cut into quarters
- Make a white/bechamel sauce and add the shallots, leek, parsley and if using it, the cheese.
- Spread the boneless fish fillets in the bottom of large, greased oven-proof dish. Allow one good-sized fillet per person. Avoid layering the fillets more than two fillets high. (Individualised servings could be made by placing one fillet each in small ramekins.)
- Next, Pour the sauce over, under and through the raw fillets.
- Scatter the quartered eggs throughout.
- Spread or pipe the mashed potato over the fish mixture taking it to the edges of the dish to form a seal. This is effectively the pie's lid. Coat with grated cheese and the breadcrumbs (optional).
- Bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes until the fish is just cooked and the top is golden.
