Fish Pie

This was from the Guardian (UK edition), which I subscribe to, and which occasionally prints recipes. The article was titled "Richard Allen’s recipe for hearty fish pie". Richard Allen is executive chef of the Orangery, at Rockliffe Hall, Darlington, which way up north nearing Scotland; it appears to be a hotel and golf resort, the Orangery is the restaurant. British recipes are sometimes difficult to make in the US because surprisingly they often contain ingredients that are hard to find, but everything in this one is pretty available - even the seafood. I am a little surprised that it calls for the mussels to be cooked ahead of time.

Ingredients

50g salted butter
2 shallots peeled and chopped
1 leek white part only, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
200ml white wine
200ml fish stock
500ml double cream
1 tsp dijon mustard
300g diced cod
8 peeled prawns
4 scallops halved
12 cooked mussels
2 sprigs of curly parsley, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of tarragon, chopped finely
10 salad potatoes, peeled, boiled and sliced into 1cm rounds
50ml olive oil
Sea salt

 

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Place a thick-based saucepan on the stove on a medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and when it starts foaming add the shallots. Stir for one minute.

2. Add the leek and garlic, then cook for a further two minutes. Season with a little salt. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Reduce by half. Add the fish stock, reduce by half, then add the double cream. Turn down the heat and continue cooking to reduce the cream sauce by half and thicken.

3. Add the mustard. Check the seasoning, remove from the heat and add your cod, prawns, scallops and mussels, then finally your herbs. Gently fold the fish and herbs through the cream sauce and immediately ladle the fish mix into a casserole dish.

4. Arrange the potatoes evenly on top of the pie and brush with the olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.