"Waiter, there's something in my... Fish pie!"

When we first discussed the theme for our new foodblogging event, the idea was to select dishes every month that exist all over the world in some incarnation or another, firstly to make it accessible to everyone  (what good is an event on edible bush food to the majority of foodbloggers out there?) and encourage participation from a wide audience, thus gathering a vast array of local variations on a theme which would make every edition exciting, exotic and enticing. Then we brainstormed themes that would take us through the year of 2007 and it is only now that I realise that I am stuck on the second round already.
The theme is "pie" and I've wrecked my brains for the last few weeks to find an Austrian variation on the pie theme - but we simply don't do pies. Not savoury, not sweet. In her announcement, Jeanne even goes so far as to allow empanadas or calzone pizzas... anything basically where the filling is covered by pastry or crust of some sort and thus made invisible - but did that mean that strudels or dumplings would be allowed to?
I didn't want to risk it and decided to make an old-fashioned pie... forget about my culinary heritage and lets explore what my country of residence has to offer!
I had my first fish pie when I travelled to Edinburgh to spend a weekend with my foodblogging friend, the lovely Pille. Together, we had a most delectable meal at The Witchery by the Castle and they do a mean fish pie there! As happens too often (a bad character trait I have picked up over years of eating out in fancy-schmancy restaurants and probably share with many foodbloggers out there) I wanted to try one in the comfort of my own home and started researching recipes. The first one I tried was out of Gordon Ramsay's "Sunday Lunch", very tasty indeed, but I found the filling to be more like a stew - tasty morsels of fish and prawns sitting in their own juice, almost like a fish soup topped with a crust of potato mash. This couldn't have been a mistake in the recipe, it's just how Gordon likes his pie to be. Perfectionist that he is, I have never found a recipe of him not to work, so it would seem that we're simply not on a wavelength when it comes to the perfect fish pie. I need a bit more stodge.
The search was on. There had to be another way? The best fish you could possibly get, enrobed by a thick and creamy sauce of some kind... oh yes, that was what I wanted! I compared dozens of recipes, online and off, by celebrity chefs, foodbloggers and the local parish cookbook (yeah, you guessed right, I made that last one up) until I finally came across what turned out to be it. Apart from the usual twists, like using salmon instead of cod and chives instead of dill, I also decided not to cook the salmon and prawns before they went in the dish - I figured that over 30 minutes in the oven would be plenty of time for them to cook and there's nothing worse than chewy fish or seafood!
So here you have it: the ultimate, bestest ever recipe for fish pie. The most indulgent, creamy affair you could imagine. The most perfect marriage of flavours and textures. No kidding. I have witnesses. Jeanne (yes, I uncovered the secrets of my perfect pie to the hostess of this event, that's how confident I am) came round for lunch the other day and we happily enjoyed what were supposed to be eight portions between the four of us... there can't be a better compliment, right?

Luxurious fish pie
(serves 6)

650 g smoked haddock
750 ml milk
1.3 kg Vivaldi potatoes (any with a smooth & floury texture will do)
500 g salmon fillet (skinned)
600 g fresh prawns (peeled)
180 g butter
120 g flour
50 g Dijon or German mustard
15 g chives (finely chopped), plus more to decorate

Place the haddock in a pan and cover with 600 ml milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove haddock, reserving milk for later.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into small dice. Cook in plenty of salt water until very soft, drain and keep warm.
Flake the cooked haddock, discarding the skin. Cut the salmon into bite-sized pieces.
Prepare a bechamel sauce: melt 80 g butter in a non-stick pot, add the flour and stir until smooth. Over a very low heat, gradually add the milk, whisking until thick and smooth each time. Never stop whisking, or you'll end up with a lumpy sauce. Cook slowly until you have a very thick and smooth sauce, about the consistency of mayonnaise. Stir in the mustard and season with salt & pepper. Fold in the chives. Add the fish and prawns to the bechamel.
Preheat oven to 200 C (fan). Butter a large, oven-proof dish of roughly 40 x 20 cm.
Add the remaining butter to the potatoes, leave to melt, then mash finely. Stir in the remaining milk and work to a smooth purée. Season with nutmeg and salt as required.
Pour the fish/bechamel mix into the dish, then top with the purée. Smooth over evenly, taking care to keep the layers separate.
Transfer the pan to the pre-heated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly and browning on top.

Serve with a salad or vegetables on the side.
 

Comments

[Piperita]

Gorgeous!!!
I love fish pies!

[Michelle]

Oh my! This looks wonderful! All of your photos are just incredible! Well done! :)

[Margaret Wise]

Lovely! I have tried lots of fish pie recipes - and I am sure you must have done too. This one looks superb.

[Monika Korngut]

Beautiful photos. I wish I could have a bite. :)

Delicious, all the best,

Monika Korngut

[Susan from Food "Blogga"]

Growing up Providence, Rhode Island, I had never heard of a fish pie. It wasn't until our honeymoon in London that my husband had his first taste and fell in love with it. I've never made one, but your appetizing entry and delicious photos have tempted me (and I'm a vegetarian). But since my husband isn't,I'll definitely make it for him. Thanks!

[Jeanne]

Oh, what happy memories that picture awakens in my tastebuds!! Let me assure everyone that this probably is the *best* fish pie in the world - decadent and comforting and beautiful. What more could you possibly want? Thanks for sharing your WTSIM entry with me Johanna :)

[Pille]

The fish pie looks absolutely stunning, Johanna (as does the baby blue oven dish!). I made a fish pie, too, though rather different one. Yours is really-really tempting, but do you think it'd work without shrimps, too??
Can't wait to see what's the theme for your hosting round next week:)

[astrid]

That sounds and looks very delicious - and it sounds very easy to prepare.

I'll certainly do this one - maybe next week for my colleagues at work!

happy greetings from vienna (we had the first snow this night for this winter, but it already disappeared..)
Astrid

[Ben]

Looks great Johanna. I made one very similar the other day but with the perky addition of a scoop each of cockles and mussels. I used the liquor from cooking them (topped up with a similar volume of milk) to poach some smoked haddock and halibut. All of which made the creamy bechamel even richer and fishier. Lovely. I think the real joy of fish pie is in using what ever takes your fancy when you get to the fish counter. Prawns, squid and even baby octopus have got a look in in the past. A winning winter staple.

[Jodi]

I made this last night and i have to say it was THE best fish pie i have ever tasted. My other half had 2nd's and is wondering if there is a posibility of fish pie again this week - a definate hit! well done :)

[John Gilligan]

I have tried using Jerusalem artichokes in a dry mash made from baked potatoes. It was a similar idea to your scallops and artichokes recipe. It compromises texture, but gains in flavour.

For the contents, I flavour the sauce much more strongly by infusing the milk with shallots for 6-8 hours along with just the skins from the fish. Like you I don't add the flesh of the fish until the highly flavoued Bechamel is going in and rely on the oven to cook the fish to a transluency. I also add peas and sweetcorn from time to time, and increasingly avoid salmon altogether and just use Haddock and/or cod with a few small prawns for colour.

[johanna]

Hi John,

thanks so much for your feedback and suggestions, as always they are very much appreciated!

Kind regards
johanna