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Irish: Family Fish Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Real Irish Food" by David Bowers


Recipe Introduction

"In my experience, there is no fish pie in America when it comes to standard family suppers. Meatloaf, spaghetti, chili—those are the sort of fallbacks that occupy the same place in the American kitchen that fish pie, or Shepherd's Pie, or Cottage Pie, occupies in the Irish kitchen. This is a good basic version, but you can use any leftover fish and combination of vegetables you have. My brother Andrew, who's a chef, always uses chopped fennel instead of celery. He's also the one who advised me to use an equal amount of smoked whitefish with the whitefish for the best flavor (it is good) and to go sparingly on the salmon (avoid smoked salmon) because too much imparts an oily flavor to the pie. A little salmon enriches it—as does the cream."

Recipe Link: https://tinyurl.com/y3rhmrrr

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons butter
â—¦ 1 tablespoon olive oil
â—¦ 2 leeks, white and green parts, thinly sliced and washed
â—¦ 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
â—¦ 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 teaspoons mustard (either Dijon or a hot English mustard such as Colman's)
â—¦ 2 cups whole milk or light cream, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons more if needed
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
â—¦ 1 sprig rosemary
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ 1 pound boneless whitefish fillets (cod, monkfish, turbot, whiting, pollock), cut in small chunks
â—¦ 1 pound smoked fish (smoked trout, smoked haddock), cut in small chunks
â—¦ 8 ounces boneless, skinless salmon, cut into small chunks
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt (less or none, if your smoked fish is salty—taste a bit and see)
â—¦ ½ teaspoon black pepper
â—¦ 6 cups mashed potatoes
â—¦ ½ cup shredded cheddar or Parmesan


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F and butter a 3 or 4-quart baking dish (you can use a 9 x 13-inch dish but a deeper pan is preferable).

Put the oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the leeks, celery, and carrots and cover. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are completely tender but not browned.

Stir in the flour and mustard, then gradually add in the milk or light cream, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, rosemary, and bay leaf, and cook for two to three minutes until the sauce is simmering.

Add all the fish pieces, stirring gently to avoid breaking them up too much. Turn this mixture into the prepared dish. Stir the mashed potatoes, adding a bit of milk if necessary to loosen them, and spoon them in an even layer over the fish.

Use the tines of a fork to make craggy peaks in the potatoes; this helps make a nicely browned crust later. Top with the cheese and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until bubbly golden brown on top.

Makes 6 servings