Ingredients
| 12 whole prawns | |
| 5 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 1 onion, finely chopped | |
| 1 carrot, grated | |
| 2 celery sticks, finely chopped | |
| finely grated zest of 1 lemon | |
| 1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped | |
| 2 tablespoons flour | |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, chives or chervil | |
| ½ teaspoon dried dill (optional) | |
| ¼ cup crème fraîche (optional) | |
| 500g medium-firm white fish such as gurnard | |
| 250g smoked fish | |
| 5 medium-sized floury baking potatoes such as Agria, peeled | |
| 4 tablespoons (60g) butter, melted |
I had a request for a fish pie that had a very crunchy top and this is where I landed. This pie is topped with two styles of potato – first mash, then a layer of grated potato to get a lovely golden crunch. The pie has lots of fresh fish but no traditional white sauce, instead using a prawn stock to get a rich umami flavour. If you like a creamy sauce, you can add some crème fraîche.
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Instructions
| 1. | Peel and remove the heads of the prawns, setting the prawn meat aside and reserving the shells and heads. |
| 2. | Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. |
| 3. | Add the prawn shells and heads, and cook, stirring for 10 minutes until well browned. |
| 4. | Add 375ml water and bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. |
| 5. | Strain the stock and set aside. |
| 6. | Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes. |
| 7. | Add the carrot, celery, lemon zest and chilli and cook for a further 5 minutes. |
| 8. | Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, still stirring. |
| 9. | Slowly stir in the prawn stock, then add the fresh herbs and dill (if using) and the crème fraîche (if using). |
| 10. | Taste and season with salt and pepper. |
| 11. | Cut the fresh fish into large pieces and put in a 30cm ceramic or glass pie dish. |
| 12. | Devein and roughly chop the prawn meat, flake the smoked fish and add both to the dish. |
| 13. | Pour over the sauce and stir together, then spread the mixture evenly in the dish. Set aside. |
| 14. | Heat the oven to 200°C fan bake. |
| 15. | Set aside two whole potatoes and cut the rest into large, even pieces. |
| 16. | Put all the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and salt well. |
| 17. | Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes then scoop out the two whole potatoes and set aside to cool. |
| 18. | Continue cooking the remaining potatoes until tender. |
| 19. | While they cook, grate the whole potatoes into a bowl then mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon melted butter and season with salt and pepper. |
| 20. | When cooked, drain the boiled potatoes well then put back into the pan over a low heat to dry off for a couple of minutes. |
| 21. | Remove from the heat, add the remaining butter then gently mash together. |
| 22. | Season with salt to taste. |
| 23. | Spoon the mashed potato over the top of the pie and spread to cover, leaving the surface uneven (do not smooth). |
| 24. | Using a fork, lightly cover the top with the grated potato. |
| 25. | Bake for 30 minutes until nice and golden. |
| 26. | DAIRY FREE |
| 27. | To make this dairy free, replace the butter with a non-dairy alternative. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean Styling Fiona Smith & Aaron McLean