Easy Smoked Fish Pie with Cheesy Crumble

Great for freezing

This fish pie uses a pastry topping that doesn’t need rolling out, just grating! Make sure the pastry is well chilled, almost frozen and the trick is to use ready-made pastry – the homemade version can get too soft to grate. Make a few portions for the freezer.


By Caroline Marson
Cookery advisor All recipes by Caroline Marson

Ingredients show imperial units

Preparation time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves 4

  • 350g skinned fish, such as ling, hake, cod, haddock or salmon
  • 350g un-dyed smoked haddock
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 450ml milk
  • 1 fillet of cooked smoked mackerel
  • 25g butter

    Butter

    Unsalted is better for cooking.

    Easy spread butter is ideal for sandwiches and toast.

  • 25g flour

    Flour

    For pastry making or to thicken sauces, soups, stews and casseroles.

    • Raising agents are added to plain flour to make self-raising flour, used to lighten and give an airy texture to cakes and sponges.
    • Once opened reseal with quick clips or transfer to an airtight container or kilner jar. It will keep for up to 3-4 months
  • 2 tablespoon crème fraiche

    Crème fraiche

    The French version of soured cream, it’s twice as rich, and thicker than the British version of sour cream.

    • It can be used to lace soups, sauces and stews or it can be spooned over puddings and stirred into sweet dishes. Great for adding to leftovers, as it is quite rich and can withstand being heated.
    • Plain full-fat yoghurt can be used instead of crème fraîche in cooking as long as you heat it gently – adding a little cornflour, which can help to prevent it from separating.
    • The best crème fraîche comes from a strictly controlled area of Normandy called Isigny-sur-Mer and it’s sold in larger supermarkets in the UK.
  • salt

    Salt

    Consider tablesalt, sea salt or crystals.

    Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.

  • Ground black pepper

    Black peppercorns

    Best used as a condiment.

    They can be lightly crushed and used to spice up a creamy sauce or to coat fillet steak or chicken breasts.
    • Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
    • Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
    • Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 225g chilled shortcrust pastry
  • 50g leftover cheese such as Cheddar, Gruyere
  • 4 free range Eggs

    Eggs

    Always have some on hand for quick scrambled egg.

    • Keep eggs in the fridge in their box and never eat them after their use-by date.
    • The Health Protection Agency recommends buying Lion branded eggs, which come from vaccinated hens and are therefore less likely to contain salmonella

Instructions

  1. Place the raw fish in a wide pan, add the quartered onion and bayleaf and pour over 450ml milk. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked. Remove with a fish slice, the fish and place in an over proof dish about 22cm in diameter. Discard the onion and bayleaf from the dish and put into a compost bin or stock.
  2. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and hard boil the eggs; carefully lower the eggs into the water and boil for 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water; peel the eggs, cut into chunks and place on top of the fish. Flake the smoked mackerel and distribute over the eggs and cooked fish.
  3. To make the sauce; melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for one minute over a moderate heat. Gradually add the fish poaching milk, whisking all the time, and simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring until you have smooth, slightly thick sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the crème fraiche, season with salt, ground black pepper and nutmeg. Pour the sauce over the fish and the eggs.
  4. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) mark 6. Thickly grate the frozen pastry straight over the top of the fish pie, sprinkle with cheese and cook for about 25-30 minutes or piping hot and the topping is crisp and golden.

To freeze: Complete up to step 3. Cover, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
To use: Defrost overnight in the fridge and complete the recipe from step 4.

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