My Mum's fish pie
My Mum’s fish pie
You can’t beat your mum’s recipes right?!
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
500g firm white fish (I used monkfish)
3 cups milk
4 tbsp cornflour
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 eggs, hard boiled
Handful of grated cheese
800g agria potatoes
2 tbsp sour cream
Splash of milk
Optional: onion halved, bay leaf
How to make:
Firstly, peel the potatoes and chop into 1 inch chunks, steam for around 20 minutes or until soft. Alternatively you can boil the potatoes, but it takes longer so I prefer the steaming method!
While the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce. Firstly, in a mug or small bowl, mix the cornflour with 4 tbsp of water to make a paste and set aside. Heat the milk in a non-stick pan over a medium heat (add bay leaf and onion if using) until it starts to simmer. Sieve the milk to remove the bay leaf and onion at this stage and return milk to saucepan. Add the cornflour paste and whisk continuously over a low heat until the sauce thickens. This takes around 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can use the roux method (butter and flour) to make a white sauce (I was brought up using the cornflour method as my mum can’t eat wheat).
When the sauce has thickened, add the grated cheese and stir through until melted. Set the sauce aside.
Next, drain the potatoes and mash with the sour cream and a splash of milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Rinse and dry the fish fillets with paper towel. Cut into 1 inch chunks and put into a dish suitable for baking. Chop the boiled eggs into quarters and place those on top of the fish. Next sprinkle over the defrosted peas.
Pour the cheese sauce over the fish.
Top with the mashed potato. I find it best to put small spoonfuls over the top then spread gently with a fork to create an even surface – this stops the mash sinking and sauce overspilling everywhere!
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 190degrees, check the fish is cooked through before serving. Exact cooking time will vary depending on the size of your fish chunks.
Serve with salad or any veggies you like.
