These July mornings have been muggy, dark, drizzly, and cold. It feels a bit like October when we wake up and everyone comes down to breakfast in fleece-y jumpers and woolly socks.
And so I think my body clock has gone hay-wire, and I’m craving warming stews and pies… like this fish pie- surely the most moorish and delicious meal when you are feeling dark and damp.
To make is simplicity in itself- cook 2lbs of fish -a combo of any: hake, cod, monkfish, sea trout, salmon and some smoked haddock- in milk with a bayleaf, salt and pepper, an onion and carrot or two. Bring to the boil, then I let sit in the milk mixture while I peel a good few spuds (potatoes!!) and boil them up. When they are boiled, and ready to be mashed, I drain the water from them and let sit while I pour off the milk from the fish with a colander (KEEP THE MILK!!!) Discard the bayleaf and onion, (I chop up the carrot and add it later- if it escapes the carrot-eating children) and carefully remove as many of the bones as possible, leaving large chunks of fish.
Into a deep pie dish I put the fish and carrot and a cup of peas, then I make up a roux of butter and flour, add most of the fishy-milk to make a white sauce, pour that on the fish, and use the remaining milk to mash the potatoes with butter. Onto the fish, sauce and veg, I top it with fluffy mashed potato and put in a hot oven for approximately half an hour (the potato will be starting to crisp, and some sauce will be bubbling to the top.
Enough for one, and possibly 4-5 other hungry adults (or children, if they are anything like mine: permanently starving)
I’m linking this, and my previous post (here), to Lush Friday- I’ve about four paintings “on the go” but none quite finished… yet! Check out the other fantastic Lush Friday offerings here!
Having just come back from a boring sandwich lunch I am now starving again looking at that yummy pie. Damn you Emily,teasing me again with food. Usually a bar of chocolate will satisfy me but that won’t even work now.
Yum! Do you have any leftovers? Thanks for sharing. Happy Friday! :o)
Crikey, this dish looks delicious. We’ve never had fish pie but I’m going to have to make this and soon. My husband, The Welding Man, would love this for dinner. So, you are a wonderful cook on top of being exceptionally creative? Wow.
you had to have been reading my mind because my thoughts recently returned to that the mostly luvly meal i ate while in ireland in your dining room and the fish pie was scrumptious
i will be making this for my family to share the warmth i felt in your company