FISH PIE

Fish Pie image

To the uninitiated, fish pie has an uninviting name and reputation. But this is fish that is gently poached, then swathed in a white sauce and topped with buttery mashed potatoes and finished to a heat-bronzed finish in the oven. It is a dish good for children but can be made into unapologetic dinner-party fare by poaching the fish in a little white wine, making the white sauce with light cream rather than milk and infusing all of it with the eggy-lemony kiss of saffron. It's an hour well worth spending.

Provided by Nigella Lawson

Categories dinner, casseroles, pies and tarts, main course

Time 1h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

1 medium carrot, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup white wine
Large pinch salt
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, fresh thyme, parsley, celery and leek, tied together in cheesecloth)
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, to taste
8 ounces skinless cod fillets
8 ounces skinless haddock fillets
8 ounces skinless salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron or 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads steeped in 1 tablespoon boiling water
1 cup light cream (or a combination of half and half and heavy cream) or as needed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of mace
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp
Freshly grated nutmeg

Steps:

In a deep covered skillet, combine carrot, wine, salt, bouquet garni and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and set aside.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and add potatoes. Cook until soft, and mash (preferably with a potato ricer) with 6 tablespoons butter and the salt. Cover and set aside.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put cod and haddock into skillet with carrot, cover, and bring to a simmer. Poach for 3 minutes. Transfer fish to a plate, and add salmon to skillet. Poach for 3 minutes, and transfer salmon to plate with cod and haddock. Discard carrot and reserve bouquet garni. Strain liquid into a measuring cup, add saffron and add enough cream to make 2 cups liquid.
Place a saucepan over low heat, and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in flour and mace. Stir for a few minutes; remove pan from heat. Slowly stir in cream mixture, beating until smooth. Return pan to heat and add reserved bouquet garni. Stir until mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan, and distribute cooked fish evenly, breaking into large chunks as necessary. Scatter shrimp evenly in pan. Discard bouquet garni, and pour sauce over all.
Spread mashed potato evenly over top, covering edges so sauce will not bubble over. Sprinkle nutmeg lightly over top of pie, and place pan on a baking sheet. Bake until filling is hot and potatoes are flecked with gold, 20 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 851, UnsaturatedFat 18 grams, Carbohydrate 52 grams, Fat 50 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 43 grams, SaturatedFat 28 grams, Sodium 1334 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams, TransFat 1 gram

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