fish pie
RECIPE BY Maeve Higgins Comedian

Feel free to experiment with the combination of fish, depending on what is
available. If you choose fish fillets that are all roughly the same thickness they will
all poach in the same amount of time so it saves a lot of hassle!

Preparation time: 15 minutes . Cooking time: 1 hour . Serves 4-6

what you need
550g (1¼lb) potatoes, peeled, cut
into chunks
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 small bay leaf
a few black peppercorns
500ml (17fl oz) low-fat milk, plus
extra for the mashed potato
3 eggs
750g (1¾lb) haddock, salmon, cod
or whiting fillets or use a mixture
100g (4oz) mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground white pepper

what you do
Cook the potatoes in a pan of water for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, place the onion in a large pan with the thyme, bay leaf,
peppercorns and milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Set aside to
infuse for 10 minutes, then strain and put the strained milk to one side.
Drain and mash the potatoes until smooth and add enough milk to give a
creamy but firm consistency.

Place the eggs in a pan with water and simmer for 10-12 minutes until hardboiled,
then shell and roughly chop.

Lower the fish fillets into the infused milk, then bring to a simmer and cook for
3 minutes or until the fish is just tender. Transfer to a plate, then roughly flake,
discarding the skin and bones. Strain the milk – you’ll need 350ml (12fl oz) for
the sauce.

Place the mushrooms in a small pan of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and
set aside until needed. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour and stir over
a low heat for 1 minute. Gradually add the strained milk, beating until smooth.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes until nicely thickened. Season lightly with pepper and
stir in the parsley.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Spread a layer of the flaked fish in the bottom of the ovenproof dish. Arrange
a layer of hard-boiled eggs with a few spoons of the sauce on top of the fish. Top
this with a layer of the mushrooms and some more sauce.
Spread the mashed potatoes on top and bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbling
and golden.

Serve the fish pie straight to the table in its ovenproof dish.


typical nutritional content – per portion
Energy Kcal (Calories) 328
Fat (g) 11.6
of which saturates (g) 3.8
Salt (g) 0.5
Sugars (g) 5.4