Tuesday, 23 May 2006

Anthea Turner's Smoked Fish Pie

Anthea's the Perfect Housewife!

Serves 4

Ingredients

675g/1½lb smoked haddock
4 kipper fillets, weighing approx 115-175g/4-6oz
575ml/1pt milk
115g/4oz butter
1 bay leaf
50g/2oz flour
2 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
3tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1tbsp capers (can be left out if not available)
1tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the topping
900g/2lb fresh boiled potatoes
50g/2oz butter
4tbsp milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
25g/1oz strong Cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
2 Arrange the fish in a baking tin, pour over half the milk, add a few flecks of the butter and the bay leaf, then bake in the oven for 15-20 mins. Pour off and reserve the cooking liquid, then remove the skin from the fish and flake the flesh into largish pieces.
3 Make the sauce by melting the remaining butter in a saucepan, then stirring in the flour and gradually adding the fish liquid, stirring well after each addition. When all the liquid is in, finish the sauce by gradually adding the remaining milk, seasoning with salt and pepper and simmering for 3-4 mins.
4 Mix the fish into the sauce, together with the hard-boiled eggs, parsley and capers, then taste to see if it needs any more seasoning and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a buttered baking dish (about 1.4ltr/2½pt).
5 Prepare the topping. Cream the potatoes, starting off with a large fork, then finishing off with an electric beater if you have one, adding the butter and milk. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and add some freshly grated nutmeg, spread evenly over the fish, then sprinkle the cheese all over. Bake on a high shelf in the oven for about 30 mins, by which time the pie will be heated through and the top will be nicely brown.

Recipe taken from Cooking For Life compiled by Louise Robinson. For more information about this book, call 020-7793 4500 or visit www.wateraid.org.