Make no bones about it, fish is much easier to cook these days with ready-to-cook fillets and cans of handy tuna. We should be eating fish at least once a week, so why not try some of these family-friendly ideas?
HOW TO MAKE A FISH PIE
■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 15 mins ■ Cook 1 hr 15 mins without eggs only
400g skinless white fish fillets 400g skinless smoked haddock fillets 600ml full-fat milk 1 small onion, quartered 4 cloves 2 bay leaves 4 eggs small bunch of parsley, leaves only, chopped 100g butter 50g plain flour pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 1kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks 50g cheddar, grated
1 Poach the fish Put the fish in a frying pan and pour over 500ml of the milk. Stud each onion quarter with a clove, then add to the milk with the bay leaves. Bring the milk just to the boil – you will see a few small bubbles. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 mins. Lift the fish onto a plate and strain the milk into a jug to cool. Flake the fish into large pieces in a baking dish.
2 Hard-boil the eggs Bring a small pan of water to a gentle boil, then carefully lower the eggs in with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a gentle boil, with just a couple of bubbles rising to the surface. Set the timer for 8 mins, cook, then drain and cool in a bowl of cold water. Peel, slice into quarters and arrange on top of the fish, then scatter over the chopped parsley.
3 Make the sauce Melt half the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min over medium heat. Take off the heat, pour in a little of the poaching milk, then stir until blended. Continue to add the milk gradually, mixing well until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat, bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins, stirring continually, until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over the fish.
4 Assemble and bake Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 20 mins. Drain, season and mash with the remaining milk and butter. Use to top the pie, starting at the edge of the dish and working your way in. Fluff the top with a fork, sprinkle with cheese, then bake for 30 mins. Make up to a day ahead, chill, then bake for 40 mins.
PER SERVING 824 kcals, fat 40g, saturates 22g, carbs 61g, sugars 10g, fibre 4g, protein 60g, salt 3.1g
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
Sometimes, even when you follow a recipe closely, it doesn’t turn out quite right. Here’s how to solve common problems with a fish pie.
The fish has broken into small flakes The fish was cooked for to
