Big Fish Pie - enough to feed a hungry lot!

This big-fish-pie will NEVER be big enough, I promise you. It does not matter if you make a double batch, it will be gobbled up in no time. I don't know what it is really, whether it is the fact that it is such a comforting meal, or whether it seems very luxurious, but the fact remains, it is a keeper. It is one of those the-oven-does-all-the-work recipes and you can have a different flavored pie every time, because you will use a different kind of fish every time. Seems like a winning recipe to me......

A proper fish pie recipe has eluded me for many years. Some recipes are just too complicated to even start. You have to make a fish stock, cook the fish, de-bone the fish and then make a bechamel sauce to top it all. Way too much effort and too many pots to clean! Some recipes suggest I use tinned fish! Now, I love tinned fish, I use it in my, Pasta with salmon and dill, Healthy Fish Cakes or Fish Cakes and Mushy Peas, but in a fish pie the idea just does not gel with me. So what am I looking for in a fish pie? I want a creamy, luxurious filling, I want lots chunks of fish and then I want a crunchy topping. I did some research and found a fish pie recipe on Jamie Oliver's site that ticked all the right boxes for me. I used his idea, but you will see this recipe was tweaked and changed to use the fish I had available and I  also changed the topping.





Big Fish Pie

Serves 8



Ingredients 

500gr white fish - angelfish, hake or any other on the Green SASSI list

500gr smoked haddock or 250gr haddock and 250 gr salmon pieces

250gr shelled, uncooked prawns

2 carrots

2 stick celery

a small bunch parsley - chopped

1 small chili - optional

salt/pepper

250ml cream

1 cup grated mature cheddar

about 2 heaped tbsp of flour for dusting the fish

juice of a lemon

1 kg potatoes

250gr butternut

a knob of butter

a little milk



Method

Make sure all the fish is cut in small chunks and that all boned and skin is removed.  Toss all fish in a plastic bag with the flour and shake about. Season the fish with salt and pepper and drizzle the lemon juice over it. Grate the carrot, parsley, celery, cheddar cheese, cream and chili over the top and set aside.



Cook the butternut and potatoes in a pot with salted water until soft. Mash with a potato masher, add the butter, milk and seasoning and make a proper mash. Spoon over the fish and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Underneath the lovely yellow mash you will find the most amazingly creamy and dreamy seafood "stew", almost chowder. Too divine. I hope you like it as mush as we do!