Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour 10 minutes
300 g (10 oz) peeled and deveined raw prawns, (thawed if frozen)
2 teaspoons cornflour
300 g (10 oz) white fish fillets such as haddock, skinned and cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons green peppercorns in brine, rinsed and drained
1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 small leek, trimmed, cleaned and roughly chopped
15 g (½ oz) dill
15 g (½ oz) flat leaf parsley
100 g (3½ oz) fresh or frozen green peas
350 g (12 oz) ready-made cheese sauce
750 g (1½ lb) baking potatoes, thinly sliced
75 g (3 oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Dry the prawns, if frozen and thawed, by patting between sheets of kitchen paper. Season the cornflour with salt and pepper and use to coat the prawns and white fish. Lightly crush the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle.
Put the peppercorns in a food processor with the fennel, leek, dill, parsley and a little salt and blend until very finely chopped, scraping the mixture down from the sides of the bowl if necessary. Tip into a shallow ovenproof dish.
Scatter the prawns and fish over the fennel mixture, and mix together a little. Scatter the peas on top.
Spoon half the cheese sauce over the filling, and spread roughly with the back of a spoon. Layer the potatoes on top, overlapping the slices and seasoning each layer with salt and pepper as you go. Spoon the remaining sauce over the top, spreading it in a thin layer. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven, 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7, for 30 minutes until the surface has turned pale golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, and cook for a further 30–40 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and the fish is cooked through. Serve with a tomato salad.
For smoked fish & caper pie, use 625 g (1¼ lb) smoked pollack fillets, skinned and cut into small chunks, instead of the prawns and white fish. Replace the green peppercorns with 2 tablespoons rinsed and drained salted capers and follow the recipe as above.