Fish Pie with Mashed Potatoes (English)

This British fish pie recipe is easy to make and can be economical to cook. It calls for pieces of a variety of fish; use fresh, seasonal fish whenever possible, but frozen is fine as long as you defrost it first. (If you don't, you will end up with a lot of water in the bottom of your dish.) Ask your fishmonger for a selection of fish scraps; usually, they will charge you less than the market price. If they aren't willing, then change your fishmonger. Combining fish, leeks, milk, butter, and potatoes, a fish pie is a one-pot supper dish. Some like to sprinkle a fish pie with grated cheese but this is optional, as is the addition of hard-cooked eggs seen in some recipes. Serve the pie with peas or other fresh greens.

1 cup fish stock (250 mL)
1 cup milk (250 mL)
12 oz fish pieces (350 g)
1 bay leaf
¼ cup (2 oz) butter (55 g)
1 medium leek, white part only, washed and finely sliced
¼ cup (2 oz) all-purpose flour, unbleached (55 g)
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
5 cups mashed potatoes, warm and creamy (750 g)
1-2 Tbsp. old white cheddar cheese, grated

Heat the oven to 355°F (180°C, Gas Mark 4).

Pour the fish stock and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the fish pieces and bay leaf and poach for 5 minutes. Remove the fish pieces with a slotted spoon and keep to one side. Reserve the liqueur.

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook for 5 minutes until the leeks are soft.

Whilst still hot, add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Pour the fish liqueur into the pan and stir again, raise the temperature and cook for 3 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Turn the heat off. Remove the bay leaf. Add the fish, chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Leave to one side.

Spoon the fish mixture into an ovenproof dish, cover with a thick layer of mashed potato fluffed up with a fork or for a more professional look, use a piping bag and a large nozzle.

Sprinkle the potatoes with grated cheese to your liking.

Put the dish onto a baking sheet and cook in the center of the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the potatoes are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes: Either use one type of fish (skinless and bones removed), cut into bite-sized chunks. Or mix different fish and prawns together. Choose non-oily, fleshy fish such as; salmon, cod, smoked haddock or coley.