To me, fish pie sounds like an unlikely dish. Accustomed to thinking of pie as a dessert - apple pie, cherry pie, banoffee pie - I don't think that the concept of fish in a pie is immediately appealing. Even after becoming reasonably assimilated and enjoying English dishes such as steak and mushroom pie, the idea of fish and pastry seems hideous and altogether wrong.
Luckily, fish pie involves no pastry. It belongs to a different branch of the pie family (along with its cousins cottage and shepherd's pie), which means that we are talking about a layer of fish and vegetables under a golden blanket of floury, mashed potatoes.
The culinary regime of my childhood means that I still see potatoes as the most natural and palate-pleasing accompaniment to fish. Because of this, fish pie this seemed like a good place to start my quest for good fish dishes. Different, yet comfortingly familiar. I found a Jamie Oliver recipe that seemed tempting, and decided to add some hot-smoked trout for more flavour. I also left out the boiled eggs that you are supposed to add because, well, yuck. Instead of using the forbidden cod, I decided to be brave and use haddock, a previously unknown quantity.
It's quite simple, really. You poor a creamy, cheesy, oniony sauce over a layer of fish and spinach, and then cover the whole thing with mashed potatoes. Half an hour in the oven cooks the fish to perfection and gives the whole thing a nice crispy surface.
The result? Mmmmmm. Creamy, fishy, potatoey goodness that melted in my mouth and made me feel like a little girl again. On the other hand, I didn't eat much of the haddock because it was so meaty and solid - fish is supposed to be flaky, not chewy. In short: 10 points for nostalgia, 4 for innovation and bravery. Hmmm.
Jamie Oliver thinks that this dish should be enjoyed with baked beans and ketchup, but that was never an option. There are limits.
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Posted by: Nickolas | January 25, 2010 at 12:21 PM